


little warrior (be careful who you trust)

by TheGodWith5Yen



Series: these new moments, these new lives [1]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, Family, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Grief/Mourning, Kid Fic, Kissing, M/M, Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Memories, Post-War, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, and that is all in flashbacks, raising your brothers kids with the man you are totally in love with fic, the major character death is anakin, the one where the republic doesn't fall but padme and anakin die :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27095566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGodWith5Yen/pseuds/TheGodWith5Yen
Summary: Cody’s hand, warm and large, settled on his shoulder. His thumb rubbed small circles into his shoulder, a welcome assurance, and Obi-Wan gave his friend a smile as he said, “If you ever need to talk about it, I’m here. I hope you know that Obi-Wan.” He did, of course. But, it still set his mind at ease to hear these words all over again.Obi-Wan grabbed Cody’s hand and smiled at him. “Thank you, my dear friend.” He pulled Cody’s hand off of his shoulder and grasped at it, watching how his friend's eyes softened and his smile widened slightly. Without thinking about it too hard, Obi-Wan pressed a quick kiss to the rough, scarred skin along Cody’s knuckles before dropping his hand and moving to set Luke back into his bed.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: these new moments, these new lives [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014105
Comments: 60
Kudos: 235





	1. something tender something I remember

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writehandman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writehandman/gifts).



> I had this idea, cried about it, started writing it, and cried while writing it. Title from "Athena" by Nova Twins. Big shoutout to Tristan ([forcesensativebantha](https://forcesensitivebantha.tumblr.com/)/[writehandman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writehandman/pseuds/writehandman)) for betaing this first chapter I love you you're the best <3 
> 
> First chapter title from "Hit My Heart" by BOY
> 
> WARNING:  
> There are semi-graphic flashbacks of Anakin's death and Obi-Wan's feelings on it..... so.... yeah..... it's not too bad but I just want to put it out there for you guys. This fic starts with a small flashback and all flashbacks will be italicized.

_ A lightsaber, bright and menacing as it shined red as blood. He crawled forward, closer and closer and closer, a cry threatening to rip his throat apart as he forced himself forward, he had to make he had to make it maybe if he did, maybe if he did he could be alright everything could be fine everything would be _ — 

The baby's cry awoke him from his sleep. If one was awake then the next was surely to find themself up as well. He groggily sat up and shoved off the much too warm blanket he had wrapped himself in earlier in the night, only to find it suffocating now as the dredges of a nightmare—was it a nightmare if it was the truth?—clung close to his mind. His own distress must have been what startled the children, though them being so young and unable to sleep through the night was still very much a reason for them waking up so early. He ambled out of bed, scratching at his lower stomach as he made his way towards the second room where the babies had their setup. 

There, his tired mind was surprised as he caught sight of Cody, the man holding Leia as she cried and as he stroked at Luke’s stomach. “Obi-Wan, you should be sleeping,” Cody said quietly as Obi-Wan made his way over to take Luke into his own arms, the small boy slowly calming down as he touched Obi-Wan’s bare skin. “Their diapers aren’t soiled,” Cody informed him, his tone much the same as though he was giving a debrief. It made Obi-Wan smile as he kissed Luke’s head, his thin poofy hair tickling his nose as he did. 

“No, I’m afraid I may be the reason for their restlessness.” Obi-Wan replied with a sigh. The children were slowly calming down, feeding off both of their calm energy. They were perceptive little things, much more than any Force-sensitive child he'd met. Obi-Wan wondered if Anakin was ever like this as an infant. Despite not permitting a test on their midichlorian levels, Obi-Wan knew they were close—if not stronger—than their father in terms of the Force. He could feel them edging along his mind and taking comfort with the familiarity. They would even tug at his face or hands with the Force from time to time if they felt he wasn’t giving them the attention they wanted. 

Cody’s hand, warm and large, settled on his shoulder. His thumb rubbed small circles into his shoulder, a welcome assurance, and Obi-Wan gave his friend a smile as he said, “If you ever need to talk about it, I’m here. I hope you know that Obi-Wan.” He did, of course. But, it still set his mind at ease to hear these words all over again. 

Obi-Wan grabbed Cody’s hand and smiled at him. “Thank you, my dear friend.” He pulled Cody’s hand off of his shoulder and grasped at it, watching how his friend's eyes softened and his smile widened slightly. Without thinking about it too hard, Obi-Wan pressed a quick kiss to the rough, scarred skin along Cody’s knuckles before dropping his hand and moving to set Luke back into his bed. He used a push of the Force to cause the mobile to begin to circle around. With small plush versions of banthas, tooka cats, and shaak, Obi-Wan had found it and heard the whispers of his old friend that they were perfect for the children.

As he smoothed Luke’s hair and whispered his love to the baby, he watched from the corner of his eye as Cody set Leia back into her own crib with a kiss to her cheek and words in Mando’a that made Obi-Wan’s heart melt, the care he held for the child easily apparent. Without a word, they switched spots and gave their love and good night wishes to the child they hadn’t held. 

Obi-Wan kissed his fingers and pressed them to Leia’s chest, “I love you so dearly my sweet Leia. I promise I will sleep well, for you and your brother.” It may well be easier said than done, the memories of that night so deeply ingrained in him that no matter how much he meditated on the matter it still plagued him even during the day. Not to mention when he closed his eyes. Obi-Wan took a steady breath in and took solace in the brightness that was Luke and Leia before he stepped away. 

He could feel Cody’s eyes on his shoulders as he walked towards his bedroom, but the man said nothing except for, “Sleep well,” as he turned towards the room that was meant for guests, but was quickly becoming his.

When Obi-Wan had purchased this apartment for himself, with the funds he had saved up a month after the official end of what was now called the Clone Wars, days after he had set aside his lightsabers and the cut the ever weakening thread that kept him tied to the Order, Cody had visited and seemingly never quite left. Not that Obi-Wan was complaining about it. He appreciated the company of his friend. For so many reasons. 

An infant was a handful in ways that raising a nine year old child had not prepared him for in the slightest. 

“Good night Cody.” Obi-Wan replied. With a parting smile, his bedroom door shut and Obi-Wan sighed as he pressed his back against it. The ever present longing that lived within his chest, the care he has felt growing in the years he has known Cody, made his fingers shake. He knew Cody wouldn’t press—he was a kind man in that way, letting Obi-Wan move forward from the walls he built. Still, even the small brush of his lips to Cody’s knuckles had made him feel a warmth he had not felt in years. There was a small part of him that swelled with a sudden overwhelming guilt, that he could move on in such a way when— 

He shoved the thought away and breathed in through his nose. If anything, Anakin would throw his arm across Obi-Wan’s shoulder, give him that grin he always got when he decided it was a good time for teasing, and encourage Obi-Wan to disobey the way of life he had lived with for so much of his life. With that thought, he pushed away from the door and sat cross-legged in the middle of his bed. The sheets were ruffled and shoved towards the end of the bed from his less than stellar dreams, but Obi-Wan let them be as he set his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. 

________________

His fingers carded through Leia’s hair. Unlike Luke, who had been born with sparse fair blonde hair that was instantly recognizable to Obi-Wan as the pale hair Anakin had as a child, Leia had a full head of dark brown hair. Leia had begun to drop herself onto Obi-Wan’s chest and tug at his arm until he lifted his hand up and began to smooth at her head, an act that Obi-Wan had absently done since she had been born, but now the small girl was actively seeking the attention. They lay on the floor while Luke crawled about, playing with one of the little tooka cat dolls that Rex had given them before he had left the GAR on a ship with Ahsoka and an over-eager friend of hers. 

Obi-Wan tilted his head back slightly to catch sight of Luke, who met his eyes and giggled. The boy began to crawl over to Obi-Wan and set his head against his forehead before he gave Obi-Wan a too-wet kiss that made him grimace before Luke moved off to explore. The sudden knock on the door—a sequence that he and Cody had come up with to let each other know who was there—caused him to sit up as the front door opened. Cody smiled, small and tired as he stepped inside, shoving off his dirty boots. 

“Hi. How was work?” Obi-Wan asked as he shifted Leia in his lap, sitting her up against his stomach. She fussed slightly, but lit up within the Force, her happiness swirling around Obi-Wan. He could nearly taste the sweetness of it on his lips when she caught sight of Cody. 

Luke began to crawl towards Cody, who laughed and swooped the baby into his arms. Luke excitedly spoke in a gibberish-yelling sort of way that made Cody’s face turn soft as he nodded along and said in seemingly appropriate times, “Elek ad’ika,” in a tone so soft it made Obi-Wan’s chest tingle in warmth.

Cody sat across from Obi-Wan on the floor and Obi-Wan let Leia crawl off his lap into Cody’s, her and Luke gabbering together with large smiles. 

“Hello Cody.” Obi-Wan said again with a small laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. Next time he laid on the floor he should lay a pillow down as well. “How was your day at work?” The man had gotten a job at a security company and would switch around working at several different warehouses and such. Obi-Wan knew that Cody did not like his job all too well and was seriously debating whether or not he should instead take the open job offer at the Jedi Temple that all clones received when the war ended. 

Cody sighed. “It was alright. Stopped a kid from vandalizing the side of a warehouse. So, you know. Exciting.” Luke stuffed the tooka cat doll in his face and he took it with a smile and tickled Luke under his nose with the toy's long ears.

“Was it at least artistic vandalization?” Obi-Wan asked with a slight smile, remembering how he would spend some days watching many of the clones spray paint the side of troop shuttles—of holofilm famous twi’lek and human women, or of a particular flower that one of the men had been fascinated with that was the same color that the 212th wore, Mandalorian symbols and words that made the men puff up in pride, or even of jedi standing with a lightsaber in their hands with a hidden face.

Sometimes, Anakin would come and watch the men work as they simply sat together and spoke about nothing except for a teasing word here and there that made Obi-Wan smile and think of how much his pada— 

“Oh, yeah. Kid had a whole flimsiplast book full of sketches. They were outstanding. Directed them towards an old shipyard where he could probably throw up some designs without getting in trouble.” Cody seemed to sense the sudden mood that fell onto Obi-Wan’s shoulders, his gentle dark eyes watching how his hands clenched in his lap. 

Obi-Wan hummed and smiled at his friend. “I wasn’t aware you were such a contributor to the arts.” He watched how Cody’s shoulders shook with silent laughter and he smiled, small yet bright, before getting distracted by the babies. Cody was so good with the children and he obviously cared for them so much. And they loved him as well, if their smiles and the spark in their eyes said anything. In all honesty, Obi-Wan had admittedly been surprised when Cody had been so taken by the children and began to help out so readily. None of the clones had spent much time with children, not when they were so young, but not too long after the twins birth, Cody had grinned at Obi-Wan as he carefully held the back of Luke’s head and whispered a blessing in Mando’a to the infant. His living with them, and helping Obi-Wan raise the children had become so natural so fast that the children were already eight months old and Obi-Wan couldn’t help but wonder where the time had gone. 

“What would you like for dinner?” Obi-Wan asked as he carefully stood up. His knee buckled slightly and Obi-Wan reached out and steadied himself using Cody’s sturdy shoulder as he readjusted his weight. His knee had healed from the strike he had received months ago from the fatal fight with Darth Sidious, but from time to time Obi-Wan found that his knee wasn’t as reliable as it once was. It  _ had  _ been a bit of a miracle that the healers had been able to heal his leg and simply attach a knee replacement for him instead of completely amputating his leg as he had thought would happen at first. “Ah, sorry my dear.” 

“It’s alright, si—Obi-Wan.” Cody gave a sheepish smile and rubbed at his neck as he tripped over his words. Obi-Wan only smiled and rubbed at the man’s shoulder, knowing that despite insisting for nearly a year that Cody needed not to be so formal, that the man still struggled with the immense change that had happened since the end of the war. “Um, how about we order in? Keep you off that knee of yours.” Obi-Wan leveled a look at Cody, and Cody laughed. “Fine, fine. How about some of those noodles we got? Those veg ones you were so excited about.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, but couldn’t argue that he  _ had _ been rather excited when he had arrived back from the market with handmade Alderaan veg noodles from a vendor that Bail Organa had recommended months beforehand. Obi-Wan hadn’t much experience with Alderaan as a whole, but his friend had made him plenty of food over the years over his insistence that Obi-Wan join him and Breha for late meal and Obi-Wan found he had developed a liking for Alderaani meals, which was known for its vegetable based cuisine. “Alright, veg noodles it is.” Before he could lose the courage or think too hard on it, Obi-Wan leaned down and quickly pressed his lips to the top of Cody’s head, the man’s dark curls brushing his nose as he did.

The process of boiling the water and preparing the noodles with some bantha meat that had been thawing out in the fridge was calming, as well as hearing the rich timbre of Cody’s voice along with the sweet babbles of Luke and Leia. As the meal was nearly prepared, Obi-Wan collected an assortment of fruit that he had set aside for the children and placed it into their bowls, which he then set on the table. “Food’s ready,” Obi-Wan called as he wiped his hands on a rag and moved into the main room, where Cody was already gathering up both children in his arms. 

Cody grinned at him and as he moved past, leaned down so their foreheads pressed together, their breath mingling together and their noses momentarily brushing against the other, before Cody pulled away with a wicked grin that took Obi-Wan’s breath away. He pressed his hand against his chest and leaned against the wall for a second before pushing forward and moving towards the table, where Cody had already set Luke and Leia in their high chairs at the table, their bowls of fruit in front of them as they talked to one another in their babbling language of two and pinched at their fruit with small fingers. Obi-Wan gave the twins both a kiss on their heads, which made them grin as they glanced up at him. “Enjoy your food my loves,” Obi-Wan told them as he sat in his seat next to Cody.

There was a knock against his bedroom door. Obi-Wan raised his head from where he was reading on his datapad, a rather interesting selection of short stories that featured mundane worlds without the ability to space travel and even ones that explored the mind of a Jedi so well that Obi-Wan wondered if the author had once followed the Code. “Come in, Cody,” Obi-Wan softly called out and nearly immediately the door shifted open and Cody, wearing a soft blue t-shirt that advertised a speeder-wash company with matching sweats. Obi-Wan had no idea where the man had acquired the shirt from, seeing as they tended to take a taxi or, occasionally, the speeder they kept in the lot that Padmé had left Obi-Wan in her rather extensive will that they both tended to forget about. The speeder had originally been gifted to Anakin, but circumstances of the will Anakin had (something that Obi-Wan had made the boy write up when he became more and more reckless with age) made it so everything that was his, was Obi-Wan’s. “Hello there.” 

Cody chuckled as he padded into the room. Obi-Wan set aside his datapad and shifted so that his legs hung over the side of his bed as he watched Cody walk over to him, stopping in front of Obi-Wan, close enough that the cloth of his pants brushed Obi-Wan’s legs. “Look, I know we haven’t exactly spoken about…  _ it _ , but, well, Obi-Wan,” Cody said as he reached up to rub at the back of his neck, his shoulders stooping slightly. 

The small acknowledgment caused Obi-Wan to feel warm, sure that his face was now pink as he glanced down at his hands. His nails were chipped and bitten down to the beds. He had a rather bad habit of chewing on them, sometimes so often that he would cause himself to bleed. It was something he had begun doing after his padawan braid was gone and he hadn’t been sure how to let his anxieties out, but he hadn't done it in years. “Yes, I suppose we should. We should.” Obi-Wan glanced up and met Cody’s warm dark eyes. In his lap, his hands twisted together. 

For a second, they both watched each other before Obi-Wan cracked a smile and Cody chuckled. Obi-Wan grabbed his datapad and scooted over towards the other side of his bed, patting at where he had just been sitting so that Cody could sit as well. Cody climbed on and crossed his legs, his hands on his knees as he watched Obi-Wan, who sat still for a moment before he moved to settle comfortably, and lay in the man’s lap, his shoulders resting against Cody’s thighs. Cody smiled, soft and small and breathtaking (as just about everything with him was,) and moved his left arm to wrap around Obi-Wan’s head and rest on his shoulder, his right hand began brushing back strands of Obi-Wan’s hair. 

“I love the gray in your hair,” Cody murmured as he carded through Obi-Wan’s hair, his hands large and warm and so close he couldn’t help but ache. 

“Really? I’ve never been very fond of it.” He had first begun to go gray in his late twenties, just strands here and there. Anakin had teased it him about it whenever he would notice a strand and pull it out so they could both stare at it in a kind of morbid fascination of Obi-Wan’s hairs potential fate, but once it had started to become  _ truly _ noticeable, Obi-Wan had dyed his hair here and there. Anakin also used to tease him for that. 

Cody hummed a light affirmative. “Makes you all the more handsome cyar’ika.” Obi-Wan swallowed so loudly as he processed the term of endearment Cody used for him, that when Cody chuckled he knew the man had heard it. He never used words like that for Obi-Wan, but now he could see that they were something that laid close to the man’s tongue, ready to speak, so easily out of his mouth like it was only natural for him to call Obi-Wan his cyar’ika. Cody’s hand moved from his hair and down, his fingers brushing at his adam’s apple before raising up to tug lightly at Obi-Wan’s beard. “You’re starting to have a few over here too. Gives you a distinguished look.”

“Oh?” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and grinned up at the man. “Well, if that’s so I suppose I should let the gray out some more.” He moved his hand to grab Cody’s hand, entwining their fingers and setting their hands against his chest. His face was warm and his heart beat so fast in his chest he couldn’t help but worry about his health, but he breathed in and whispered, “I care so much for you Cody. I still can’t fathom why you’ve stayed by my side.”

There was a smirk on his lips. “Well, isn’t it obvious cyare? I care for you.”

“Before I say anything else, I need you to know.” Obi-Wan sat up and dropped his head onto Cody’s shoulder, breathing him in. Cody smelled like the organic fruit soap Obi-Wan bought from the market, with a twinge of sweat and something that had always been  _ Cody _ , a warmth, a care, something Obi-Wan couldn’t place but had enjoyed since the man had pressed him close to his chest the very first time out in the battlefield. Obi-Wan pulled back and met Cody’s dark eyes. “I—I may not always be able to have sex or be touched in a certain way and it’s not you, it’s never you, but I’ve just never had much of an appetite for sex. Which, I know may not be something someone would want in a relationship so I would understand if—”

A hand pressed against his jaw, Cody’s thumb trailing back and forth across the hair on his chin. “Obi-Wan, we have twins, sex really isn’t my highest priority. In all seriousness, I kind of got that you aren’t one for sex. It’s the little things. And, really, I don’t give a flying shaak’s ass if we have sex or not. As long as I can hold you, call you mine, and take care of Luke and Leia with you I’ll be the happiest man in the galaxy.”

Obi-Wan pressed his lips to Cody’s jaw and said, “You had a long day, let’s go to sleep my dear.” Cody nodded his head and they moved about, finding a comfortable position for the both of them. After a few moments, they ended up facing each other. Cody’s head rested at the top of Obi-Wan’s head and Obi-Wan cuddled closer to the man’s neck, enjoying being held. He had never had anything like this before, something so real and precious and  _ full _ . He couldn’t help but worry that he would somehow ruin it all, or the universe would find a way to rip away the sudden stability Obi-Wan felt for the first time in his forty years of life. He held on tight and brushed another kiss to Cody’s throat as they began to fall asleep. 

_ Obi-Wan scrambled over towards his padawan. His whole body hurt to the point that he was becoming numb to the pain, uncaring for anything but Anakin. Anakin, who stood on his knees with his head tilted back. A lightsaber, red and shining like blood, stuck through the boy.  _

_ It was a struggle, but he tried his best to rise up to his knees. Obi-Wan’s hands lifted up and back down as he stared at the young man. “Anakin, let me help you,” he rasped out, his throat raw from all the yelling and the nearly overwhelming numb pain that coursed through his knee. The sith lord had shoved the very same bright red lightsaber that Obi-Wan couldn’t tear his eyes away from into his left knee before momentarily knocking him out. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was Anakin. He needed to help Anakin. He needed his padawan, his brother, his son, his Anakin, to be alright he had to be alright he had to keep him safe. “Let me—I can—” _

_ Anakin chuckled, wet and soft, and Obi-Wan raised his eyes to meet Anakin’s own. His eyes were rimmed red, dark purple shadows laid underneath them, and a vein had popped in his right eye, causing a bright circle of red near his pupil. “There’s nothing left to do,” he whispered, weak and slow.  _

_ “Don’t say that Ani, don’t say that.” Maybe, if he—they could—if— _

_ He watched in horror as Anakin’s hands moved forward, gripping the hilt of the lightsaber, and pressing the switch. The saber fell from his weak grip and began to roll away, the noise loud in Obi-Wan’s ears as Anakin slumped forward against him. He held on to his padawan, held him close, stammering and breathing hard as he futilely pressed a hand against the wound in his stomach, hoping, praying, wishing, wanting,  _ needing _ for Anakin to be okay he could be okay if he could just  _ do something _ everything could just be the way it had always been Anakin could be okay he could be fine Anakin could be okay he had to he had to— _

A warm hand cupped his cheek and a voice, warm and soft and reassuring, whispered, “You’re with me cyar’ika. You’re in bed with me, you’re on Coruscant. Luke and Leia are sleeping in the other room. You’re safe cyar’ika, you’re safe.” After a few minutes of listening to Cody’s reassuring words and slowing down his breathing, Obi-Wan began to sit up, quietly insisting he should check on the twins. “I’ll come with you.” They stood up and Obi-Wan held onto Cody’s hand as they made their way over towards the twin’s room. The two were sleeping, peaceful as ever, and Obi-Wan let out a breath as he watched the two of them. 

“I miss Anakin.” He whispered out in the air as he watched little Leia shift in her sleep. “It’s been nearly a year and I still cannot close my eyes without seeing his death. That's always been my problem, I dwelled too much, cared too much. I tried to keep my distance from Anakin, like a master was supposed to, like the Jedi had raised me to, yet through my distance... I failed him miserably. I wish I was a better brother to him.”

Cody wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan’s shoulders and pulled him close. “You were the best brother you could have been. You were there for Skywalker at the very end. I know that’s all that I and my brothers could ever ask for in each other.” They stood there for a few minutes longer, lingering in silence as they watched over the twins, Obi-Wan contemplating Cody’s words, before they went off back to bed together. 


	2. these lines in my hand all look the same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “These are you and Cody’s ade, huh? Wow, they are adorable. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, considering who their buire were.”
> 
> Obi-Wan’s cheeks warmed up at the mention of Luke and Leia as his and Cody’s. It felt right, especially considering that they had been there for every accomplishment the children had, but he still couldn’t help the small spark of embarrassment that the mention caused inside of his chest. “Yes, well, I suppose they are rather adorable.” They were. “Master Windu had requested my presence here today. Do you mind escorting me to him, Threepwood?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from "Run or Hide" by Run River North
> 
> forgot to mention last time but please don’t interact if you ship cloncest/obikin/rexsoka/anything like that.

A small tug at his beard from his left side told him that Luke had woken up from his small nap. The children were resting on both sides of him in a sturdy cloth sling that Obi-Wan may had used the Force to properly tie around his body. He hadn’t been planning on leaving the apartment, but he had received a message from Master Windu asking for his presence at the Jedi temple. Even if Obi-Wan was no longer a Jedi, he still felt as though he couldn’t ignore a call from the man and had quickly gathered up the children, sent Cody a comm message about where he was going, and set off in a taxi. Obi-Wan glanced down at Luke and smiled down at the child, who babbled at him, and he smiled at him as he pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

“I’ll be just fine Luke. We are just visiting Master Windu and Master Yoda. I’m not sure if you would remember them, you were only just an infant the last time you were here at the Temple. You could barely hold up that little head of yours. And now you crawl!” Obi-Wan spoke to Luke as he began to climb up the temple steps, carefully and with ease. It could nearly be like he never truly left—if he didn’t have two children tied to his torso and the distinct lack of the Jedi robes he had always been fond of. 

As Obi-Wan made his way inside the temple he couldn’t help the sudden surge of worry. Never had he entered the Temple as a civilian. But, as he stepped inside the familiar presence of hundreds of Force users up close, the walls warm and familiar, the chatter of voices that bounced about in comfortable low tones, it all felt reassuring. Immediately, Obi-Wan was met with a familiar voice excitedly yelling out, “General Kenobi!” 

He turned, a smile on his face, as he met the face of Threepwood. The man had been one of many that served in the 212th under his command and who Obi-Wan had considered a good friend. Threepwood had a collection of small stars tattooed along his left temple and down his jawline and the armor he wore was much more colorful than what it had once been—a lower layer of gold with pink, red, and orange stars along his arms. “Threepwood, please. I am no longer your commanding officer nor a Jedi,” Obi-Wan said as the man grinned and pressed his forehead to Obi-Wan’s. Threepwood seemed to realize he was not wearing his helmet the moment their foreheads met, but he stayed for a few more seconds before pulling back with a laugh. Obi-Wan was surprised by the gesture, but nonetheless happy to accept the affectionate greeting from his friend.

“It’s good to see you Kenobi. As much as I like the Jedi here, I do miss you and your antics.” Threepwood said with a wide grin as he moved to carefully press his forehead to Luke and Leia’s, as though he had meant to do the greeting with Obi-Wan in the first place. “These are you and Cody’s ade, huh? Wow, they are adorable. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, considering who their buire were.”

Obi-Wan’s cheeks warmed up at the mention of Luke and Leia as his and Cody’s. It felt right, especially considering that they had been there for every accomplishment the children had, but he still couldn’t help the small spark of embarrassment that the mention caused inside of his chest. “Yes, well, I suppose they are rather adorable.” They were. “Master Windu had requested my presence here today. Do you mind escorting me to him, Threepwood?” 

Threepwood grinned and held out his arm, which Obi-Wan took with a chuckle. “Of course Kenobi. I believe he’s with the Jedi Council at the moment though I can’t be too sure, I’ve been here at the doors for a while now. How have you been sir?” They began to walk forward, slowly, as they spoke. 

“Well.” It wasn’t quite a lie. If it weren’t for the clawing in his chest whenever he slept or remembered his former padawan, he would be well. Anyways, having Cody and the babies around made everything much more bearable. “The tattoos are new. Last I saw you, you were as clean shaven as a shiny.” 

His words caused Threepwood to guffaw loudly as he threw his head back, but he quickly stopped when Luke and Leia shifted at Obi-Wan’s sides and made a slight sound. Obi-Wan quickly caressed both their cheeks and sent them soothing emotions, hoping they could settle quickly. “Ah, sorry sir.” 

“It’s quite alright. Leia is due to wake soon anyhow.” He glanced down at the children. Luke just blinked before pressing his face into Obi-Wan’s chest and Leia was still fast asleep with a line of drool along her chin.

“Well, I got them a few months back as a way to honor my fallen brothers and sisters from the war. Each one I name in my remembrances have found a place either on me or my armor. I got the idea from you Jedi, how you all say that once we are gone, we are returned into the Force. They return back into the universe, out among the stars. When the war ended... I would just stand and stare up at the stars and think about how some of them are gone or dying, but we still see them. My siblings are gone, but they’re still with me out in the Force, in the stars, in my heart and mind. Sounds kind of stupid out loud, but that’s why I got all the, you know, stars…” Threepwood trailed off quietly as Obi-Wan stared at the man’s profile, at the trail of stars along the side of his face, small and large and beautiful and he smiled as he shook his head. 

“That was beautiful Threepwood. That you have taken to the words of the Jedi warms my heart, truly.” 

The man met his eyes and grinned widely, a wave of pure happiness moving through the Force at the unbridled joy he felt at Obi-Wan’s reassurance. As they reached the council room, they immediately spotted the members of the Jedi Council beginning to stream out of the room, talking in low voices. Master Windu was speaking to his former Padawan, Master Depa Billaba, who had her own young Padawan, Caleb Dume if Obi-Wan remembered correctly, at her side. Padawan Dume was glancing about, but paused when his eyes laid onto Obi-Wan. His face instantly transformed from a bored young teenager listening to his Master and Grandmaster speaking together to excitement as he shifted back on his heels, glanced up at Depa, who was immersed in her conversation, and quickly walked towards Obi-Wan. 

“Master Kenobi.” Padawan Dume grinned as he stopped in front of Obi-Wan and Threepwood. He gave a small bow before curiously looking at the twins. “Are they yours? They’re so cute. And little.” He held up his hands to gesture about how little they were, his hands only inches apart and Obi-Wan couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s excitement.

Obi-Wan smiled at Caleb Dume. “Hello Padawan Dume. You know, I’m no longer a Jedi Master, you may call me Obi-Wan if you want.” At his words, Caleb’s grin widened and he mouthed his name as he nodded. “This is Luke, named after the city Lucius on the planet Naboo, and this is Leia, named after the Tatooine goddess of the sand. Would you like to hold one of them, Padawan Dume?” He could feel a few eyes on them, but none of the Jedi seemed ready to step in as they simply watched. Caleb gave a nod and Obi-Wan untied Luke from his waist, carefully handing the baby to the boy, showing him how to hold him correctly when he whispered that he had never held a baby so young before. 

“Can I—can I hold Leia?” Threepwood asked quietly as he rubbed at the back of his neck, a small nervous frown on his face. Obi-Wan simply nodded at the man and shifted Leia into his arms. “Weighs about as much as a blaster cannon,” Threepwood muttered quietly under his breath and Obi-Wan couldn’t help but chuckle when Caleb Dume hummed in agreement. 

A glance away from the two had him catching Master Windu’s gaze, his eyes soft as he watched his grandpadawan, his hands grasped behind his back. Windu met Obi-Wan’s eyes and inclined his head in a greeting. “Well, I’m sure I can trust you two with the twins while I talk to Master Windu? Here,” Obi-Wan set the bag held in his left hand near their feet, “if you think they’re about to cry, just wave the tooka cat near them. Or sing.” At that, Caleb made a face of object horror, but settled when Threepwood gave a serious nod and Master Billaba set her hand on the small of his back as they looked down at Luke in his arms. As he walked towards Master Windu, several other Jedi—Agen Kolar, Plo Koon, and Stass Allie, who had all been shuffling out of the Council room together, along with a Jedi and their Padawan that Obi-Wan did not recognize joined the group as they cooed over the twins. 

“They’re most definitely in good hands,” Obi-Wan mused out loud as he fell in step with Master Windu, who smiled, small yet bright. 

“Yes. I’m glad you came, Obi-Wan. I was worried that you wouldn’t.” 

“Ah, well.” Obi-Wan glanced back over his shoulder to catch sight of Master Plo Koon gently smoothing at Leia’s tuft of hair. He sighed and brought his gaze back to Windu as they turned a corner, beginning their way somewhere less crowded. “I regret the terms I had left on with you and the other members of the Council. I may have been rather hasty.” They walked into a small meditation room, one that was redecorated every season or so by the crèchelings. Last Obi-Wan had seen it, the room had been filled with bright colors that had assaulted his eye. It had been a disaster and he had been utterly incapable of concentrating in the room, in contrast to Anakin who had smiled and sat on a plush rainbow colored chair and started to meditate soundly. 

Now the room was much more sparse, the walls painted a cream color with a myriad of differently shaped hands pressed along the wall in a long line in soft yellow and green colors. There were mats on the floor that looked to have been made by the children themselves, some with more skill than others. Obi-Wan took a seat on a mat made of different textured fabrics, his throbbing knee thankful for the rest after the long climb towards the temple, he really should have taken the route Master Yoda favoured. He sighed and moved his hand along the fabric of the mat.

“This is new,” he whispered. 

“Yes, well, we may have taken into consideration your parting words.”

Obi-Wan, who could only remember his intense grief during his last meeting with the Jedi Council, blinked as he asked, “And, uh, they were?’

Master Windu snorted. “You said that we had strayed far from what the Jedi should be. We answered to the Republic, we ignored people in need like Shmi Skywalker, and tolerated ones who only brought darkness and strife like the Hutts because the Republic did. That we could do more for the ones in our care. That  _ emotions _ would not hold us back if we truly followed and believed in each other and the light.”

“I said all that? My, I do have a way with words.” Obi-Wan said with a small smile as Master Windu smiled back. They sat down next to each other on the mats. 

“Master Yoda has stepped down from being the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order.” Master Windu stated. 

Obi-Wan hummed. “And you will be stepping back up?”

“No.” Windu said, startling Obi-Wan enough that he blinked and watched the man's face as he closed his eyes and breathed in. “We need to be better, do better. For years, Skywalker was being seduced away from the Jedi by a Sith Lord under our noses, yet we never noticed any of it. We answered his beck and call.  _ I _ answered his beck and call, like a fool. No, I could not in good conscience be the Grandmaster again. Master Plo Koon has been offered the position. He’s a generous, kind-hearted man who has always seen a possibility I’ve been blinded to long ago. We are beginning to change what small things we can. Starting with the younglings.”

“As much as I am glad to hear all this, I don’t quite understand why you called me here today.” Obi-Wan’s fingers felt at a tuft of soft, fur-like fabric of the mat he was sitting on. He had an inkling of an idea, but he wasn’t sure what he would do or say if he was right. The life he had now was something fulfilling in a way he never thought he could have. He slept in Cody’s arms and woke up to kiss his lips with a smile as they negotiated on who should get up to get the children when they woke (it was always both of them). Luke and Leia had been what spurred him forward after Anakin’s passing. He missed the Jedi, he did, but he was unsure how he could move forward as one once again, not when what he had with Cody was so new and fragile, not when the children were still so young.

Master Windu breathed out. “There is a lot we would like to change, and if you ever would like to come back home, we will always welcome you Obi-Wan.” 

Home. 

Once, The Jedi Temple would have been home to him. Obi-Wan had grown up within the walls of the Temple. Discovered his anger, his serenity, came back to again and again despite how he struggled with his ideals. After the war, it was as though his whole universe had tilted. He was off center, unable to walk along properly for so many reasons, unable to breathe or feel like he was where he should be. He had sat in the room that had once been his own, but not truly, not completely, because the war kept him out among the stars, fighting, and nothing about the quarters was  _ his _ . Cody, Luke, Leia. They were his home. Their smiles, their laughter, their presence. 

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, but nothing could escape past his lips. 

“It’s okay. You do not need to answer.” Windu placed his hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder and he turned to meet his dark kind eyes. “Just know Obi-Wan, that your presence is deeply missed and any suggestion you could give would be taken to heart. One thing we have considered is well… remember how Anakin would talk about freeing his mother? We considered it a drawback that he held connections with his mother, but…”

“We all hold connections.” Obi-Wan finished as he shut his eyes. “That’s what lineages are. Our family. Our support.” 

_ “You were the closest I’ve ever had to a father,” Anakin had said, his lips barely moving and his voice so fragile and quiet. The last Obi-Wan had heard his voice so quiet was when he was a youngling, asking to climb into Obi-Wan’s bed after a bad dream. A tear had streamed down Anakin’s face, a small line among the grime of sweat and dirt and blood.  _

Master Windu hummed in agreement. “We have been talking about keeping children in contact with their families, if they have any and that is what they would like. Many children in the Order had parents who very willingly gave them up.” His hand rubbed against Obi-Wan’s shoulder and, for a second, he wondered if that was his case. If he had parents who couldn’t care for him or did not want to and had willingly gave him away when the Jedi had informed them of his status as a Force user. Obi-Wan shelved the thought away and nodded his head instead. “Having ties to others is not what brings their downfall, it never has been.”

“I’ll have to think this all over.” He responded. He felt so small in the face of everything Windu had said and implied and simply wanted to get his children back into his arms and kiss Cody hello as he came back home from work. Obi-Wan swallowed and said, “I think I should get going. The children aren’t quite used to changing their schedules, I would hate to mess up their sleep tonight in any way.” Master Windu inclined his head and they silently put away the mats they sat on. He desperately needed to meditate, but with how unclear and jumbled Obi-Wan felt, he didn’t think he could properly get it done unless he was at the apartment. 

Together, they walked out and made their way towards where they had left the twins with Threepwood and the group of Jedi. As they neared, Obi-Wan saw that most had left except for Master Plo Koon, Master Billiba, and her padawan. Threepwood was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and Luke in his lap chewing on one of his teething toys—a bright yellow plastic ring with several shapes for the child to chew on. Next to them, holding Leia in his arms as she babbled, was Cody. It was odd, seeing Cody in his work boots and a worn white t-shirt with the fine red and orange cape that Obi-Wan gifted to him a few months back over his shoulders and his growing curly hair that fell over his forehead, here at the Temple, but it a welcome sight nonetheless as Obi-Wan walked forward towards them. 

Cody grinned, warm and bright, when he caught sight of Obi-Wan and tickled at Leia’s stomach as he said, “Orhaarir. Look, Leia.” He turned slightly and Leia grinned widely and waved her hands in excitement as Obi-Wan walked forward. Cody handed off Leia to Obi-Wan, who immediately accepted a kiss to his cheek from her as she began to babble to him. 

“Oh my, oh dear. Sounds quite delightful my little Leia.” Obi-Wan grinned as he listened to her speech. He kissed the side of her head and looked over towards Cody. “Hello there. I wasn’t expecting to run into you here.” Cody laughed and shrugged his shoulders as he explained that he had decided to head over to see if Obi-Wan was still around and, if not, talk to a brother or two before heading back home. The sudden hurry that Obi-Wan had felt during his discussion with Windu ebbed away as they began talking to Threepwood and listening to Caleb talk about his training, which led to Obi-Wan giving his own advice and pointers without much thought. 

They were laughing loudly at a joke Threepwood had made when another Jedi approached them—a newly minted Jedi Knight who Obi-Wan had the pleasure of hearing about but had not seen in quite a few years. Unlike her unruly Master who Obi-Wan had seen  _ far _ too much of in the past. Knight Tala was a kindhearted soul with the hair underneath her chin divided into three braids that had small colorful flowers throughout them and a band of beige fabric with a green geometric pattern painted onto it tied to her right front leg. He remembered when she had first been received into the Temple—a clumsy-legged young bantha who glanced at every sight with a shine in her eyes and a mind that projected her wonder into nearly everyone in the vicinity. 

With her presence came the nudging of her mind against his as her curiosity and joy picked at him as she sniffed at Luke's head. Luke babbled and Tala grunted in response and Obi-Wan knew that, somehow, they were communicating through the Force. Tala carefully nudged her nose to Luke, who kissed at her, causing Tala to make a laughing sound as her complete and utter jubilance at the moment filled Obi-Wan’s mind. 

Tala nodded her head to them and they all said their goodbyes as Tala made her way to wherever she had been to before getting distracted by the children.

They stayed for a few more minutes before saying their goodbyes, Threepwood leading them back towards the entrance of the Temple as he still held Luke in his arms. The man was talking to the young boy as Obi-Wan and Cody walked slightly behind him, having their own quiet conversation as Cody asked how Obi-Wan was, his thick eyebrows scrunched close together in mild concern. Obi-Wan smiled at him and briefly placed his hand on his shoulder in assurance that all was well. 

“I’m well my dear. Master Windu was simply informing me that if I ever wish to, the Order will always have a place for me.” The words felt sticky in his mouth, as though they would rather stay deep inside his throat than be said, but Obi-Wan felt that Cody deserved to know. He would have wondered anyhow. 

Cody nodded his head. “And?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “And I’m not ready to think of it. Perhaps later, but right now I want to go back home with you and Luke and Leia.” That more than anything seemed to reassure Cody as his shoulders relaxed and he smiled, small and beautiful, at Obi-Wan as they continued forward. “How was work dear?” Cody laughed and began to describe how he had another run in with the young artist boy, who had told him all about how he had gone to the shipyard Cody had sent him to and everything he had painted so far. He was smiling as he spoke and Obi-Wan laughed and said he would love to meet the boy someday. 

As they reached the entrance, Threepwood turned back to them and handed Luke back to Obi-Wan with a grin. “They’re beautiful,” he said as he brushed at Luke’s light hair, “they shine as bright as their father did, don’t you think?” The words struck Obi-Wan as odd and familiar, but before he could do much else but nod, Threepwood waved his goodbye and was off towards his post.

________________

Obi-Wan was lying in bed with Luke sleeping on his chest, listening to Cody sing quietly to Leia in Mando’a, sweet words of love and family that made him smile as he rubbed Luke’s back. Leia was smiling as she listened to her buir sing to her, breaking out in babbles and giggles whenever he reached a part that she loved, her hands waving about. Obi-Wan couldn’t help but grin as he watched them, Leia sitting up in Cody’s lap and gazing up at him with dark eyes full of love. 

It was as she was babbling that she said, “buir,” the beginning of the word elongated and the end stumbling over, but clear enough that it was exactly what Obi-Wan thought it was. And, by the hitch of Cody’s voice as he continued to sing, the shine of his eyes, and the large grin on his face, he had heard it too. She repeated the word another time and Cody picked her up into his arms to press a kiss onto her cheek, causing a high pitched giggle as she waved her legs about. After a few minutes, Cody laid down next to Obi-Wan, Leia on his chest as her small fingers traced at the scar on his face. 

“She called me buir.” Cody said quietly, a grin still on his face as he looked over at Obi-Wan. They had started to refer to Cody as the children’s buir when they were still a few months old, though Obi-Wan was insistent that until they were old enough to decide for their own what they wanted to call him he would just be called ‘Obi-Wan.’ Still, Cody would refer to Obi-Wan as their buir from time to time, which caused his chest to feel warm. 

“She did.” Obi-Wan smiled right back at his partner, shifting to press a kiss to his chin.   
“I love our family Obi-Wan.” Cody whispered. “I’d do anything for you three. I—Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum.” His voice cracked slightly as he switched to Mando’a, his eyes staring above at the ceiling as Obi-Wan could only smile as he kissed Cody’s chin again. His partner quickly shifted his gaze back, his eyes shining as their eyes met. 

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, Kote.” It had taken him so damn long to say it, say the words that had been curled up in his mouth for years. He had thought it would be harder for him to say them—emotions, deep and true, always were with him. But it had slipped out easy for Cody.  _ Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, Kote, I love you, I love you, I love you always.  _ It was a truth that was as easy to say as any other.

“Sometimes…” 

“Sometimes what my dear?” Obi-Wan asked as Cody began to curl up closer to him, his head resting on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. Cody’s left hand reached over to hold Obi-Wan’s hand, his calloused fingers rubbing over his knuckles as he contemplated his words. 

“Before we shared a bed, I would wake up and for a split second, everytime, I’d think I was back on the  _ Negotiator _ . That being here with you, with Luke and Leia, it was all just some elaborate fever dream. That I would get up and see you in your Jedi robes with that distant smile on your face and that everything was just…” Cody railed off and Obi-Wan squeezed his hand. 

It had been hard for him, to admit his emotions for Cody, to accept the rather rash decision he made to leave the Order. He had first realized he had loved Cody—wanted to hold him in his arms and kiss the inside of his palm as they lay around each other—during the heat of battle on a campaign much like every other as the man had handed him his lightsaber and their fingers had brushed. He had said something stupid and Cody had chuckled and said something back before turning with his blaster raised. When Cody had insisted on being there with him, for Luke and Leia, it was that love he had for him that caused him to accept the man into the new life he was clumsily creating for himself. 

“Sometimes I turn to talk to Anakin.” Obi-Wan responded. 

Cody hummed. “I do the same, turning towards one of my siblings only to remember. Remember how Tink would rig up their blasters to have better power? Xem and Anakin, I swear, the menaces of the GAR.” He laughed, wet and small, and Obi-Wan couldn’t help but chuckling as well as he remembered how Cody and him had tried their best to keep Tink and Anakin away from each other in the early days of the war simply because them getting together to fix up a speeder or anything else would have caused a catastrophe. Tink had died nearly a year into the war. 

They continued to talk, mentioning what ridiculous things Anakin and Tink and so many other of Cody’s siblings did, and Obi-Wan found himself mentioning Qui-Gon and his old friend Bant, as well as Cerasi and other members of the Young who had passed. They talked on and on before they could no longer find their voices, and fell asleep together, exhausted and warm. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caleb is me whenever my mom says we're leaving a family function in a few minutes so I'm chilling next to her as she talks to my grandparents but then its like twenty minutes later and she's not close to leaving lol 
> 
> [The Force sensitive Bantha, Tala,](https://forcesensitivebantha.tumblr.com/post/623765809555177472/sometimes-a-family-is-an-insufferable-jedi-master) is [Tristan's](https://forcesensitivebantha.tumblr.com/) oc whom ILOVE and had to mention somehow so I hope that didn't seem forced lmao I just wanted to mention her because Tala is just so cool. Threepwood is a canon clone who I just randomly chose because who else will give him love??? Who else will give him some pizzazz? Anyways I love him now. 
> 
> Orhaarir is Mando'a for 'scan,' but I used it in more of the sense of 'look' here. The mention of Leia being named after the sand goddess of Tatooine was something I made up in [an anidala fic I wrote](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23473327/chapters/56276515) earlier this year. 
> 
> I ummmm really hope this is good! I'm nervous about this chapter but I loved the ending and I hope you guys do to! Leave a kudos and a comment! Oh also I will update this fic every other sunday so chapter three will be on nov 15!


	3. someone needs to start again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, you and Cody, huh? Always thought the 212th had to have some drama.”
> 
> “Oh shush Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan smiled at her. Now that she was older, their rapport had begun to change. Nothing like what he had with Anakin, nor she with Anakin, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. “Not all of us were as entertaining as the 501st.”
> 
> “Yeah, we sure were something.” Ahsoka smiled sadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that I wouldn't post the next chapter until the 15th, but this week has felt sooo long and I like actually finished the other two chapters ahead of when I thought so to celebrate here's chapter three <3 
> 
> Chapter title from "New Gods" by From Kid

The babbling on the twins, speaking a language only the two could comprehend as they spoke back and forth with only a half-familiar word to Obi-Wan’s ears thrown here and there in their growing speech, greeted Obi-Wan as he awoke. Obi-Wan stretched out his arms as Cody shifted in bed, slowly blinking awake as he took in the children speaking. “They’re sure energetic this morning,” Cody commented as he closed his eyes again.

Obi-Wan laughed softly as he pressed a kiss to his partner’s forehead. “Yes, well, it must be the excitement of the ship.” He paused for a moment before asking, “Do you think we can hand them off to Ahsoka and Rex to have a few moments alone?” 

Cody opened his eyes and sat up, Obi-Wan quickly leaning away from his partner so their foreheads didn’t collide. Already, Cody was moving to grab the children’s toys that had been scattered about the floor of the bunk they were occupying from when the twins had been playing before they had been put to bed. “Yes, please. As much as I love the ade…” Cody puffed out his cheeks and tilted his head side to side as he let out a breath. “Some alone time with you would be awfully nice.” 

So they got about gathering the children's things as they said their good mornings to Luke and Leia, who were trying their best to stand up in their individual playards, as they spoke to each other through the mesh fabric, their little hands hitting at the fabric screen as they tried to reach each other. Obi-Wan grabbed Leia and Cody grabbed Luke and they made their way towards the ship’s lounge room, where Ahsoka was already eating cereal straight out of the box and Rex was sitting on the couch with his comm near his face with a large dopey smile on his face. The two glanced over as they walked in and Ahsoka quickly stuffed another handful into her mouth before shoving the box back into its place. 

“Hey Master Obi-Wan, Cody,” Ahsoka said as she swallowed her cereal. “And baby Luke and Leia. Hello little ones.” She waved her hand at them and the twins waved back with smiles on their faces. Obi-Wan let Leia down, watching as the young girl immediately tried to stand, only moving forward one foot before tumbling back onto her behind and choosing to crawl towards Rex instead. The man smiled when Leia stood up, clinging to his knee and bouncing up and down as she grinned and babbled at him. Rex carefully helped her up onto his lap. 

“Here we are. Why don’t you two watch the children? I know how much you both have been wanting to spend time with them.” Obi-Wan said as he set the bag full of toys and snacks and extra diapers next to Rex, who opened his mouth and glanced over at Ahsoka who seemed frozen with Luke now in her arms, the young boy curiously tugging at her lekku. Despite her sudden daze, she still carefully pulled him away from trying to chew on her lekku. 

“Uh, Master, I—I mean, yes I’d love, but um, alone?” Ahsoka glanced over at Rex, who looked about ready to speak up as well before Cody shook his brother's shoulder with a laugh. 

“You two have done a lot scarier things then watch over two children. Even if they  _ are _ Skywalkers. C’mon you two, just give them some cereal, snuggles, and toys and you’ll be fine.” Cody explained with a large grin as he slung his arm around Obi-Wan’s waist, his fingers absently playing with the hem of his shirt as they watched the two come to terms with babysitting. “Think of this as making up for all the babysitting you’ve missed while being out here.”

Obi-Wan smiled at Ahsoka as she looked down at Luke, who smiled widely at her. “Alright, alright. But just know that I  _ will _ interrupt whatever you’re up to if we can’t handle them.” Ahsoka wrinkled her nose at the potential thought and Obi-Wan only laughed as he and Cody gave the two final instructions being leaving off to the spare bunk again. 

While their alone time was spent with considerably less clothes than usual, they quickly found themselves cuddling close as they spoke in low tones, laughing and smiling and stealing kisses from each other. It was nice. They didn’t get much time alone from the twins unless they were asleep or off on a playdate with Bail’s daughter Winter, though having the twins so far away even in Bail’s capable hands made them both terribly uneasy. 

“I can’t believe they’re turning a year.” Cody mumbled against Obi-Wan’s bare shoulder. Obi-Wan wrapped one of his partner’s curls around his finger and hummed in agreement. It was something they mentioned quite often in the past days, but it was especially real now that they were traveling for Naboo to visit the Naberrie’s for the twins birthday celebration, right after they paid respects for Anakin and Padmé. Despite the lingering gloom and regret that coated over them all, being together to celebrate the twins—so young and full of life—made it all seem more… manageable. 

“Me neither.” 

“I cannot imagine my life without them.” Cody whispered.

“Me neither.” He paused for a moment before asking, “Do you miss them as much as I do right now?” 

Cody laughed and kissed at his shoulder as he sat up. “Yeah, let’s get back to our rascals.” Obi-Wan pressed one more kiss to his partner’s cheek before they began to shove their clothes back on. They kissed and lingered a few more moments, enjoying each other, before deciding to finally relieve Ahsoka and Rex from the twins. Ahsoka grinned as they walked in, her hands grasping Leia’s as they walked together. There was no change from just a few hours earlier, but Obi-Wan still smiled as he watched Leia walk along with Ahsoka’s help. Rex was sitting next to Luke on the ground as the boy played with a few blocks. Cody plopped himself next to his brother and laid his head in Rex’s lap, causing the man to laugh before moving his hand through Cody’s hair as he continued to watch Luke play. 

Obi-Wan moved towards Ahsoka, who had collapsed onto the ground with Leia in her lap. The small girl was babbling up at Ahsoka, who smiled and nodded along. “Why hello there,” Obi-Wan smiled as he sat across from Ahsoka, Leia immediately grinning and shouting, “Obi” as she crawled out of Ahsoka’s lap. His grandpadawan laughed as Leia settled herself into his lap. Leia grabbed one of his hands and pressed it to her head. With a laugh, Obi-Wan smoothed at her hair. “I hope they weren’t too much trouble now?”

“They were good. Just never leave me with a youngling under five ever again Master, there is only so much I can handle.” Ahsoka said with a droop of her shoulders. Obi-Wan laughed and nudged her knee with his own. “So, you and Cody, huh? Always thought the 212th had to have some drama.”

“Oh shush Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan smiled at her. Now that she was older, their rapport had begun to change. Nothing like what he had with Anakin, nor she with Anakin, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. “Not all of us were as entertaining as the 501st.”

“Yeah, we sure were something.” Ahsoka smiled sadly. They were silent a moment before she whispered, “Master Plo commed me a few weeks back. We talked for a long while. About the changes the Jedi are going through. How he would love for me to come back. There had been a small part of me that wanted to join again when we met up again, before I left for Mandalore, but then I remembered how much it had hurt, how unsure I felt ever since my braid had been ripped away from me. But, it feels right now. I can make a  _ real  _ difference as a Jedi. Master Plo and I have been discussing some plans I have thought up. Still, it will be odd. Without…”

She didn’t have to say anything further. Anakin. Her master, young and full of spirit, was gone. And while Ahsoka could easily become a Knight as she was now—as a powerful Force user who had bested Maul in battle and brought him to trial for his endless list of crimes, a wonderful young woman who made him feel so proud every time he saw her—it would still be an adjustment for her to re-enter that Temple without the master she had for years. Obi-Wan swallowed and nodded his head as he continued to comfort Leia, grounding himself as he sifted his fingers through her thick hair.

“Master Windu had extended the offer to me as well.” Obi-Wan said quietly. He had thought of it over and over again since he had gone, but he hadn’t been able to actually speak to the man again about how to step forward. He knew he should, by the Force he wanted to! He missed the calming flow of energy, the quiet hustle, the friendships. Despite everything, he missed the Temple, which had been his home since he was nothing but a toddler, just a bit older than Luke and Leia. 

Ahsoka hummed. “As much as I miss my master, I cannot hold myself back. I can only move forward. I hope you come back as well. Master Plo… he said that they aren’t discouraging relationships. You and Cody, you and the children, you could still be a family.” She extended her hand and Obi-Wan took it. Her hand had grown so large, nearly as big as his own, though slimmer. Obi-Wan couldn’t help but remember when she had been fourteen and would slip her small hand into his whenever she got a little too scared and wouldn’t admit it out loud. She would grab his hand and hold on, leaning close to him as he did his best to help calm her in any way he could. Ahsoka had grown so much from the young Padawan he had first met and hoped would be his own. “Plus, I need a Master.”

“Oh Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan squeezed her hand. He was surprised that she didn’t want to turn to Master Plo Koon. They had a connection—he had been the one to bring her to the Jedi Temple, something that undoubtedly created a bond between youngling and adult. Master Plo was, Obi-Wan knew, someone she reverently looked up to with his kindness and poise. “As much as I want to say of course, I still need to take time to think it over.” At the sudden sadness that emitted from her and her downcast expression, Obi-Wan continued on, “At the moment, I feel as though my place is with the twins and Cody. I’m unsure if, even with the new structure the Council is implementing, rejoining would feel right. But know this Ahsoka, I am so happy that you are returning home. You will be an amazing knight. Just as your master was.”

Ahsoka chuckled and tilted her head to the side with a small smile. “I’m pretty sure you only say that because he learned it all from his own master.” 

“Well, I have heard that Knight Skywalker had quite the charming, excellent master who brought him up.” He said as Leia began to pull at his beard, petting him back as she began to babble to them both, wanting in on the conversation. Obi-Wan smiled at the young girl, “Oh my, it seems she has nothing but raring reviews on the man!” His grandpadawan rolled her eyes as she smiled. For a few minutes, they talked and played with Leia, who basked in their sudden and full attention after spending so long not talking to her alone, before Rex and Cody came from where they had been playing with Luke, the four of them watching the twins play together and enjoying the peace that had become so common in the past year.

________________

_ His eyes were wide and all Obi-Wan could see as he held him close to his body was the circle of red next to his pupil as he struggled to breath, his fingers rising up and catching at Obi-Wan’s beard as he said, insistent and quiet, “I’ve done terrible things, terrible terrible things. I was a terrible Jedi.”  _

_ How could Anakin ever say such a thing? Obi-Wan shook his head as he felt tears slip from his eyes. “No, no Anakin no. You are one of the best Jedi I have ever seen. You were—you are the best, you are Anakin you are.” The words fell out of his mouth, mostly unaware as he repeated himself, holding the boy closer and hoping that somehow the Force would help its champion, help mend the deep gouging wound in his stomach. Anakin was a great Jedi, he was wonderful and powerful and cared so much so deeply so fully that it would hit Obi-Wan right in the chest every time Anakin felt an emotion too big for his body to contain. Anakin was made from the Force, he was meant to be a Jedi and he was the best he was he was how could he ever say anything else when Obi-Wan raised him and has been nothing but proud of him for so long? He wasn’t terrible, never could he be terrible, not even now after, after, after—  _

The children’s cries woke Obi-Wan up. He rubbed at Cody’s shoulder as the man grumbled and shifted in bed to get up, assuring him he would get them himself. Cody kissed his hand and closed his again and Obi-Wan could only smile as he moved towards the children. Leia was raising up her hands and chanting his name, “Obi, Obi, Obi” and Luke was sniffling as he rubbed his face against his blanket. 

Obi-Wan grabbed Leia first, who pressed her face to his cheek, rubbing her face against her beard like she seemed to enjoy. She did it even though her face scrunched up with each movement. Obi-Wan picked up Luke with his free arm, the little boy mumbling, “Obi” as he pressed a messy kiss to the one part of Obi-Wan’s cheek that was not covered with his beard. Obi-Wan sighed and walked over to the bed, letting the children position themselves between him and Cody, who raised his arm and let Luke cuddle up close to him with only a small grumble and a kiss to their son's head.

Little Leia shuffled about before resting with her head to Obi-Wan’s chest, her hand reaching up to stroke at his beard as she soothed herself back to sleep. Obi-Wan breathed in slowly, willing away the bad memories that plagued his dreams. Today had been particularly difficult—they had gone to visit the burial site where Anakin and Padmé had been laid to rest. They had decided to do so the day before the children’s birthday, in between both their untimely passing so to spend the next day fully dedicated to children themselves. Luke hadn’t seemed much in tuned with the sadness of the day, staying on his grandmother's hip as she cried silent tears. Leia, however, had nearly thrown a fit and Obi-Wan had stepped out with her until she had calmed down, humming to her and talking to her about her mother and father despite knowing she wouldn’t retain any memory of the words he spoke of them. Not yet. 

He just wished Anakin was here. He wished Anakin could hold his children and be a father. He wished for so much despite the lingering feeling within the Force that said there was never a possibility of Anakin having a moment such as this—laying in bed with his significant other as their children settled back to sleep. Anakin had been the Force’s champion, the Chosen One, with a weight on his shoulders since he was nine—since he was born, deep in the Outer Rim with chains holding him down despite the freeing ability residing within his bones and soul. He had been pushed and pulled and filled with anger and despair and hurt and the war and his childhood had scarred him in ways that Obi-Wan could never fully know.

Still, Anakin had been so young. He had deserved so much more than what the Jedi, the Council, the Force,  _ Obi-Wan  _ even, had given him. He deserved so much. Despite what he had ever thought of himself, of what had been planted in his mind by Darth Sidious, he had been a good man. 

As Obi-Wan felt his mind lagging and sleep edging his thoughts, he looked down at his daughter with her dark hair and little features. Her eyes were closed and her hand still raised near his face as her chest rose and fell in a quiet sleep. Obi-Wan kissed the top of her head and let sleep drag him away. 

The twins drank in the attention to varying degrees. Whenever Luke was too stimulated he would crawl towards Obi-Wan or Cody and would press his face to their legs as they rubbed his back and asked him questions that he babbled answers to or just dug himself deeper into their laps until they carried him in their arms. Leia however, let herself be held by nearly everyone and let her older cousins show her toys that she tried to chew on and press kisses to her head.

Obi-Wan was helping Sola Naberrie finish making the two small cakes she had insisted the twins have for themselves to celebrate. “Won’t it be a bit much?” Obi-Wan had asked even as he spread bright purple frosting along one cake. 

Sola had grinned and shook her head. “They mostly just make a big mess, don't worry. You don’t have much experience with children huh?” Her smile was similar to Padmé’s, small but happy and showing her teeth as she looked over at Obi-Wan as she began to decorate the cake with frosting, shaping it to look like flowers. It seemed over the top considering it was going to a one year old who was just going to dig their fingers into it and smudge it over their face, but it was nice. 

“Well, outside of the crèchelings, not really. Either way, the Jedi did not celebrate birthdays.” Obi-Wan cursed slightly as he grabbed his own piping bag to make a design. It wasn’t as nice as Sola’s, but passable enough. 

The woman made a surprised noise. “You’ve never had a celebration for your birthday?”

He smiled slightly as he raised a shoulder in a small shrug. “Never. To be honest, I do not even know when I was born. I know the year and the planet I was from and the approximation the Jedi masters had made when they had taken me in, but not the true day. A lot of the Jedi do not know theirs and those who may know keep it for themselves. Though, well, since Anakin came to the Temple at a relatively older age with his own traditions I would celebrate his birthday with him. Take him to eat somewhere special. Give him a small present.” His last birthday alive, Obi-Wan had been in another sector for a campaign—one of their rare campaigns they weren’t close by or working together—and could only send a quick comm message to him.

They were silent for a few moments before Sola spoke up. “When you said you would keep the children, my sister’s children, I had been so angry. How could you take my little sister's children?” She placed the piping bag down as she glanced over at Obi-Wan. Her brown eyes shone wet with unshed tears, her cheeks were slightly red, and there was a small streak of blue frosting underneath her right eye where she must have accidentally scratched at her face. Sola shook her head and met his eyes. “I was angry, so angry. I had just lost my little sister and who were you to take away her children from me? My parents? And then. Then I saw you at the funeral, holding them in your arms like they were all that was keeping you together and I realized. I lost my little sister and you lost your little brother. You watched him and  _ her  _ pass with your own eyes. How could I be angry at you any longer when they were as much yours as they are mine?” 

Obi-Wan opened his mouth before looking back at the cake he was working on. He was unsure what to say so he settled on, “You can come visit any time. And I’ll be sure to visit more as well, for you and your parents. They should be able to be around their cousins and grandparents as often as they can.” He made what vaguely resembled a flower and smiled to himself at the small achievement.

He glanced over at Sola, who grinned at him and nodded. “These look about done, what do you say Obi-Wan Kenobi?” Next to each other, Obi-Wan’s attempt was rather pitiful, but it was a treat for his one year old child so it didn’t quite matter. They took the cakes over to the living room, where the children were in high chairs, banging their hands to the food tray and babbling to each other. Sola set her cake in front of Luke and Obi-Wan set his in front of Leia. Immediately, Leia shoved her hand into the cake and began to try and chew on it. Meanwhile her brother was poking at the frosting flowers and licking at his frosting covered fingers. Cody, Jobal, and Ahsoka were already taking photos of the two eating.

Obi-Wan grabbed a small slice of the cake for the adults and other children present—it was rather sweet with meiloorun frosting that Obi-Wan found as good as overpowering. He stood to the side, watching as Cody took pictures and the twins babbled at him and called out “buir” excitedly as they waved their hands and bit into pieces of cake. Eventually, Cody walked over to Obi-Wan with a large grin on his face and a small purple stain of frosting underneath his lips from where Leia had shoved some cake into his face for him to taste. Cody wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan’s waist and brought up his right hand to wipe at Obi-Wan’s beard. “Got a little something here cyar’ika.”

“Ah, thank you my dear,” Obi-Wan said with a smile. “Would you like the rest of my cake? It’s rather sweet for my liking.” He held up his plate and Cody grinned as he took it.

“I’ve already had about three slices, but it  _ is _ a celebration.” Cody said as he began to eat the cake. His sweet tooth was rather surprising, but endlessly endearing in Obi-Wan’s eyes. As he watched his partner eat the cake and their children eat their own, he wondered if there could be anything better than this. He had never thought he could actually feel so—so happy and assured. All his life it felt like it was one hit after another, slowly tearing him apart from the seams as though the universe—the Force—was testing how much it could pull him along until he tore open. Broke. He lost so much, felt so much, craved so much. And somehow, somehow despite the pain that had made it feel like  _ he  _ had been the one to receive a lightsaber to his chest when he lost Anakin, he was so happy. With his Luke and Leia. With Cody, sweet, beautiful, kind, wonderful Cody. Obi-Wan leaned down slightly to press a kiss to Cody’s forehead.

Cody smiled at him, small and bright, with a curl of hair over his forehead. 

Obi-Wan decided, as he moved to clean up the twins, that he would marry Cody.

They were entangled together, simply holding each other but not sleeping as they spoke softly to one another, smiling largely about the children. The two had taken a small nap after eating their cakes, Luke falling asleep while still in the high chair with cake all over his face and hands. Obi-Wan traced the scar along Cody’s face as he grinned at his partner. “How did I end up with someone so handsome?” 

Cody chuckled, low and warm and vibrating from his bare chest to Obi-Wan’s own. “I’m a dime a dozen cyar’ika.” 

Obi-Wan frowned and shook his head. “No. You really aren’t. You’re my dear Kote, a warrior with a heart I’ve seen in no other. You’ve been by my side for years. Your heart, your face, your love has an incomparable beauty my dear. You are not a face that could ever get lost in a crowd. You are your own man, so wonderful and beautiful I cannot believe you’ve stayed by my side for so long.” Obi-Wan brought his hand to caress at Cody’s cheek, where a small amount of stubble was beginning to grow. He pressed a kiss, once, twice, and another and another, to Cody’s lips until the man grinned and kissed him back. 

“How could I ever go anywhere else?” Cody said, full of truth. His face was so warm, Obi-Wan wondered if he was blushing. He kissed Cody’s nose and smiled when he stuck out his tongue in response.

Obi-Wan whispered into the dark, in between them, into the space of heat and heart, “Marry me Kote, my dearheart.” 

Cody’s breath in was sharp and rattling, his eyes bright as he shifted forward, his lips meeting Obi-Wan’s again. “I’ll marry you now if that’s how you feel Obi-Wan Kenobi. All I want… all I want is to be with you and the twins. To be your family. To call you my riduur. You’re all I’ve wanted for years.” It was so truthful and immense Obi-Wan could only bury his face into Cody’s neck as he nodded his head in agreement. There was no one else for him but Cody. Cody, who would hold onto his lightsaber, his very heart, with a care like no other. Who had him spellbound with a smile and a quip. Cody, Cody, Cody, Kote, Kote, full of glory and heart immeasurable. “Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinuian, mhi ba’juri verde.” He said the vows with a calmness even as a tear fell from his eyes. 

Obi-Wan wiped it away, kissed his cheek, and repeated, “Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinuian, mhi ba’juri verde.” After everything, after his whole life, it was quite possibly the easiest thing Obi-Wan had ever done. They pressed their foreheads together and grinned, holding each other tight. Married. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to end differently but Obi-Wan was just like 'damn I want to marry him' and the ending just came and what I had planned went out the window for this soft mess lol
> 
> Obi-Wan, later, realizing he got married to Cody on the twins birthday and in the same three-day span as the anniversary of Anakin and Padmé's passing: oh that may have been a bit impulsive
> 
> Also tell me: Should I exercise some restraint and wait to post the next two chapters or should I post them on Friday & Saturday after I edit them???


	4. when the tide comes rolling over the rails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dex’s is full of greasy food.” Cody said with a roll of his eyes. 
> 
> Obi-Wan fixed his husband with a frown. “Well, now. Dex’s is a fine establishment. The food is wonderful, I’m sure a young man with a refined palate such as yourself would love it Vel. You do enjoy nerfburgers and blue milkshakes?” 
> 
> This time when Vel smiled, it was wide enough to show his sharp teeth as he nodded. “Kriff yes! I love nerfburgers! Can we go to Dex’s Diner?” The young boy turned to Cody with his grin and the man relented, unable to say no to the sudden abundance of excitement that Vel was showing at the prospect of burgers, their small group making the short trek through the town towards Dex’s Diner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I'm posting two days in a row this is my fic, it's done, you are getting it <3\. Thank you to everyone who commented and said no to me restraining myself. I love you 💝
> 
> Chapter title from "In a Black Out" by Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
> 
> WARNING:  
> Mentions of child neglect (of an oc because yes I am introducing an oc in the second to last chapter) as well as mentions of this child being injured by a group of young adults. All of this is offscreen/mentioned. Also there is a throw away line about Ahsoka eating a burger rare enough that blood dripped onto her fingers.

There was a measured silence to Vel as the young Togruta glanced around the apartment. When Cody had mentioned possibly asking the boy—the same boy he had caught vandalizing a warehouse and had gone back to talk to Cody to show him designs and to talk about how he enjoyed the spot Cody had directed him towards—to paint a mural in the children’s room, Obi-Wan had agreed that it was a splendid idea. Until now Obi-Wan had only ever heard secondhand about the young boy and he couldn’t help but feel a bit excited as he welcomed Vel. 

The young teenager had deep purple skin and montrals with red and white stripes. The white markings on his face resembled small diamonds above his eyes and there were twin lines running along his nostrils, extending outwards on his cheeks, and ending in a point on his chin. His lekku were small, just falling over his shoulders and the very top of his left montral was a small stub of what it should be, a scar that puckered into itself and caused his montral to only just extended out from his head. He held a sketchbook to his chest and his belt was modified to hold cans of spray paint. He held out his hand for Obi-Wan to shake before asking, “Are those your kids Cody?”

Luke and Leia were playing together on a spread out blanket. Their grandmother had given them a specially made wooden bead maze that was rather large and took up more space in the living room than Obi-Wan thought a toy should, but the children loved it, spending a good chunk of their day talking to each other as they moved the beads back and forth along the maze. Leia had cooperated in letting Obi-Wan tie her hair up with a hair elastic that had a large faux flower on it that did not match the blue shirt and colorful diaper she wore. Luke had taken off his clothes and refused to let either Obi-Wan or Cody dress him so he was simply in his diaper. 

“Yeah. Leia and Luke. Little rascals.” Cody answered with a small grin. “So you told me you had a couple ideas, right? Let’s see them Vel.”

Vel nodded as he glanced away from the children and instead flipped through his flimsiplast sketchbook. Obi-Wan caught bright flashes of color and sketches—togruta in ceremonial outfits and serious faces with their long canines bared, a twi’lek woman with a child in her lap, a battle droid head surrounded by swatches of colors. Finally, Vel reached what he was looking for. “Since you said they’re for your one year old I thought it’d be cute to do something with animals, kids always like animals. Here, um, what do you think.” He held out the book and Obi-Wan leaned forward as he examined the artwork. 

There was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. On each cloud sat different colored tooka and loth cats, some sleeping and others playing together. It was beautiful. The children would absolutely adore it. Obi-Wan smiled as Cody set his hand on Vel’s shoulder, waiting for the boy to look up at him as he said, “This is wonderful Vel. Do you have the paints for this or should we buy some?”

Vel shook his head and moved to clutch his sketchbook book to his chest. “I—I can buy the paint you know. I have some money saved up and you both are already paying me anyways, so, um, I can buy them.” He spoke quietly and stared at his feet with a frown. A wave of worry brushed Obi-Wan’s mind and he glanced over towards his husband. 

Cody squeezed the boy’s shoulder and smiled, soft and warm. “Hey, you’re doing us a big favor. Let us buy the supplies. I bet it won’t hurt our pockets like it will dent yours.” Vel smirked and nodded his head in assent. “Alright, how about we go out to the market, buy them now. Obi-Wan was going to head out there anyways. How does that sound Vel?” 

Vel was quiet for a moment as he thought. “Alright, sounds pretty wizard.” 

Obi-Wan laughed. It had been ages since he had heard that term, Anakin had stopped using it (except for a slip here and there when he got particularly excited) when he was about fifteen and Obi-Wan found that it reminded him very much of his young brother. Unlike so many other things that reminded him of Anakin, this made him smile.

CoCo Town was thriving, as always, when they arrived. Immediately, Obi-Wan broke away from Cody, who had both twins and Vel with him and was taking them towards the art supply store that they both knew was not too far off despite never visiting before. Obi-Wan left to peruse through the marketplace nearby, full of vendors with off planet fruits and vegetables and handmade products. Obi-Wan had always held a fondness for CoCo Town, particularly because as a teenager he had snuck out of the Jedi Temple plenty of times to watch holofilms or to drink and smoke (a rather nasty habit of his youth he rarely did anymore) or, more often than not, simply go off to Dex’s Diner to talk to the man and eat as much greasy food as he could for the fun of it. Anakin, surprisingly, hadn’t been too fond of Dex’s. He liked more organic and fresh foods, though he wouldn’t say no to any sweet treats on the menu especially when he was a youngling. 

It took him about half an hour to buy some more Alderaan veg noodles, fresh fruits, odds and ends veg that he could use for a meal during the week, and some much too sweet candies with jam filling that he was sure Cody and Vel would enjoy. It wasn’t hard to find his husband and the children. Vel was holding Leia in his arms as they looked into the window of a pet shop, watching as tooka cats moved about in a cage that had been placed in front of the window to no doubt entice customers. Cody was standing to the side with Luke on his hip and his holding sturdy bags filled with paint and brushes. 

“How was the trip dear?” Obi-Wan asked as he stepped up next to Cody, pressing a quick kiss to his and Luke’s cheeks. Luke excitedly called out his name and Obi-Wan smiled at his son as he tickled at his neck, causing him to giggle and wiggle about. “I missed you my little Luke. Did you have fun with your buir?” 

“Leia’s taken a real shine to Vel.” Cody said with a smile as he watched the young teenager adjust Leia on his hip, letting her poke at his face as she spoke to him. “He’s a good kid.”

Obi-Wan kissed his cheek again. That was always what Cody said when he mentioned the boy, he was a good kid. Despite never outright saying anything, Obi-Wan knew his husband worried about the boy, who had started to deliberately visit Cody while he was working to talk. He was young, about the age Ahsoka had been when they had first met (and wasn’t that a thought that made him frown, she had been so young, so small, exposed to the war in ways he wished she never had been). “He is. I see why you care about him Cody.” He pulled away as Vel walked over to them and asked with a smile, “How does lunch at Dex’s sound? Unless you have to get back home soon Vel?”

Vel shook his head. “Um, no. I don’t really have a curfew or anything long as I don’t show up dead somewhere.” He said it with a small laugh though both Obi-Wan and Cody shifted with discomfort. “What’s Dex’s Diner? Is it good? I’ve never really been to the upper level before now it’s so… bright.”

“Dex’s is full of greasy food.” Cody said with a roll of his eyes. 

Obi-Wan fixed his husband with a frown. “Well, now. Dex’s is a fine establishment. The food is wonderful, I’m sure a young man with a refined palate such as yourself would love it Vel. You  _ do _ enjoy nerfburgers and blue milkshakes?” 

This time when Vel smiled, it was wide enough to show his sharp teeth as he nodded. “Kriff yes! I love nerfburgers! Can we go to Dex’s Diner?” The young boy turned to Cody with his grin and the man relented, unable to say no to the sudden abundance of excitement that Vel was showing at the prospect of burgers, their small group making the short trek through the town towards Dex’s Diner. The closer they got, the more excited Vel became, the boy grinning and excitedly talking to Cody who smiled at the boy. When Obi-Wan offered to hold Leia, Vel held on tighter to the girl and said, “No, it’s fine Mister Kenobi. I like holding her. You two have the cutest little babies. I don’t know much about humans, but I like their little hair. It’s cool. Why does Leia have more than Luke?”

Cody shrugged. “Apparently all babies are different. Even twins like Luke and Leia.”

“Are you their, like, blood parents?” Vel asked curiously as he glanced up at them with wide eyes. 

Obi-Wan smiled as he shook his head, moving slightly for Vel to better see his face as he began to explain. “Oh dear, no. Cody and I adopted them after their parents passed. Their father was, well, he was like a brother to me.” He took a breath in as he gathered his next words. “He was a great man, and a great fool. He never appreciated the superior taste of Dex’s! The boy ate bugs for Forcesake, yet every time he tried Dex’s food he behaved like I was trying to poison him. Much like Cody here.” He lightly elbowed at his husband's side.

Cody laughed and shook his head. A curl of hair fell over his forehead and Obi-Wan felt suddenly and oddly shy as he glanced at him. “Says the man who I have heard say his body is a temple.” It was an old ribbing of Cody’s during their time in the GAR, usually followed by “then get to bed sir” or “is that why you still haven’t gotten a checkup from Gentle” which was unfair of him, but always got Obi-Wan off his shebs and where Cody had wanted him off to anyways. “Dex’s is alright, I just prefer something with a more healthier taste is all.”

“It’s okay Cody, not everyone can have a refined palate like me and Mister Kenobi.” Vel said. Obi-Wan laughed as Cody sputtered. They continued to talk as they made their way closer and closer to Dex’s Diner, passing familiar businesses and landmarks insignificant to everyone but him. 

As they neared the restaurant, Obi-Wan realized that it had been well over two years that he had last visited the diner. The last he had been was when the 212th and 501st had been on Coruscant for a well deserved break from the chaos of the war. He had gone with Anakin and Ahsoka, who had never been to Dex’s before and had fun eating a nerfburger rare as thin blood dripped down her fingers and Anakin turned his nose to her the entire time. He had even invited Cody and Rex, who had arrived about an hour after Obi-Wan and his lineage had with a few other brothers, liquor lingering on their breath and excitement in their lungs as they ate and laughed. 

Obi-Wan opened the door to the diner for his companions and walked in after them. The delicious scent of nerfburgers and hubba chips met him and he smiled as he listened to the hustle and bustle in the kitchen, where Hermoine was half inside of laughing with Dex. FLO, the service droid, rolled over and called towards the kitchen, “Looks like we have a Jedi here honey!” 

“Jedi?” Obi-Wan heard Vel ask quietly as Dex loudly yelled, “Obi-Wan Kenobi! My old friend!” The hug he was enveloped in was expected and Obi-Wan patted at the man's back, finding he had indeed missed him in the years since he had last visited. “C’mon, come on let’s get a table for you and your friends.”

“Thank you Dex, my friend.” Obi-Wan smiled as they moved into a booth in the corner of the diner, him and Cody setting down their bags under their feet. “I apologize for not coming sooner, life has been rather hectic.” He glanced over Vel, who had set Leia down next to him and was watching the conversation in curiosity. Cody had set Luke down as well, so the twins scooted close together as they spoke. He could hear ‘Obi’ and ‘Buir’ and laughter, but when he glanced over they were clearly engaged in whatever conversation they were having so let them be with a smile to Cody. 

“Yes, yes. I heard from Quinlan about you leaving the Jedi Order after Anakin’s passing. I’m sorry about that Obi-Wan. Ani was a good boy.” He set one of his hands onto Obi-Wan’s shoulder and gave him a warm smile, large and fatherly. Obi-Wan breathed in and smiled back, quietly thanking the man. “Are these his little ones? Well, except this one, they’re definitely different from his, right? He had a girl, older and snippy, if my old mind remembers correctly.” 

Obi-Wan laughed at the description of his grandpadawan. It was certainly something Anakin would say fit the young woman. “Yes, yes. Luke and Leia, the twins. And this is Vel. He’s a rather skilled artist and will be painting a mural in the children’s room. We were out buying supplies and thought lunch here would be splendid. You’ve met Cody before I am sure.”

“Your Commander right?” Dex said as he shook Cody’s hand. 

“Husband now actually.” Obi-Wan said with a smile, enjoying how his friend grinned and squeezed Cody’s hand tighter. They spent a few more minutes catching up before they ordered their food and Dex left back for the kitchen. 

“Were you really a Jedi?” Vel asked quietly. He was glancing at a piece of flimsiplast in front of him as he used a crayon that Dex had set onto the table to tackle a crossword puzzle. Already he had circled the words ‘nerfburger,’ ‘jumbo wumbo crisps,’ and ‘Jawa juice,’ which Obi-Wan didn’t think was altogether appropriate for children to be finding in a word game but chose to ignore as he processed Vel’s question. “That’s pretty wizard. I heard that Jedi can fly.” Luke reached out for a crayon and Vel pulled them away from his small fingers. Obi-Wan laughed and shook his head as he began to explain no, Jedi did not fly. He shared a look with Cody, who was grinning as they watched them, joy so apparent on his face. _ He’s a good boy _ , he had said over and over,  _ he’s a good boy, he just needs someone there for him you know _ . 

________________

_ “I kriffed up, Obi-Wan, I. He. He. I kriffed up.” Anakin whispered as he pressed his face into Obi-Wan’s shoulder. He had just arrived back early from Utapau after a successful mission. The Force had definitely been with him that they had been able to execute what they had to so quickly. His men had been excited, the turn of the war seemed upon them finally with both Dooku and Grievous dead and gone, but for some reason there had been a churning in his stomach that only intensified as Anakin clutched at his robes, tears streaming down his face.  _

_ “What is wrong Anakin? What has happened?” He soothed at his back and swallowed as the young man’s sadness and anxiety and anger and oh was it so, so much anger and fear and regret, wrapped around him, uncontained and too large for Anakin alone to bear. It took all of his power not to kneel down with the intensity of his emotions, so strong and uncontrolled. He wondered if something had happened to Padmé. But he had said ‘he.’ He nearly thought of Rush Clovis before remembering that the man had died. What could have him in such distress?  _

_ He wiped at the tears on Anakin’s face with the corner of his sleeve. Anakin’s hand wrapped around his wrist as he whispered, “He tricked me, he tricked all of us. He wants me to join him, to kill… kill the younglings. I can’t Obi-Wan, I cannot kill the younglings. My hubris has caught up to me. Palpatine, he’s been behind this all. The war, the death, everything has been him.” His eyes were wide and serious as he stared deep into Obi-Wan’s own.  _

_ “Then we must hurry,” Obi-Wan responded, taking the boy by his arm and turning and—  _

_ Everything was dark, he could hear yelling and the sound of lightsabers clashing, and he opened his eyes, unsure of what had happened for a moment before realizing.  _ Oh. _ It was this, again, he was living this moment again. Not again. He couldn’t again.  _

_ A lightsaber, bright and menacing as it shined red as blood. He crawled forward, closer and closer and closer, a cry threatening to rip his throat apart as he forced himself forward, he had to make he had to make it maybe if he did, maybe if he did he could be alright everything could be fine everything would be— _

He woke up with a quiet intake of breath. 

It took Obi-Wan a moment to process his surrounding—the soft woolen blanket over him, the knick-knacks and plants about the room, the scratchy socks Cody wore while he slept that rubbed at his ankles and he couldn’t help but make a face of distaste, their door was slightly opened and the nightlight they had put into their room gave a soft blue glow that was reminiscent of the glow of the lighting of a Star Destroyer. Cody was breathing a bit loudly and his eyes moved fast behind his eyelids. Obi-Wan set a hand on his husband's arm and tried to give him as much warmth and love and serenity as he could. Cody’s nightmares were inconsistent and quiet, but if Obi-Wan could help edge them away he would do his best for him. Obi-Wan tentatively reached out towards the children through their tentative bond. Feeling their peace, he breathed in and shifted closer to Cody. 

Anakin was gone.

But Cody and Luke and Leia were safe and asleep. 

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. They were all safe. They were safe. 

As he slowly blinked awake, he turned only to feel nothing but a cold blanket where his husband usually lay. Obi-Wan made a small noise of complaint as he turned to find his husband, standing in front of the mirror in their room as he fixed up his hair, styling it in a way that it didn’t look like he spent about half an hour working on it. The way he fixed his hair made it so that the small scar along the right side of his head was now hidden. “Must you put gel in your hair dear? You know you are handsome.”

“You just don’t like that you can’t stick your hands in my hair without having to go wash them off.” Cody said with a sly grin as he began to walk over to the bed. His hands cupped Obi-Wan’s cheeks, his thumbs softly caressing just underneath his eyes. “You slept well, cyar’ika,” he whispered before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his lips. It wasn’t a question, just an observation. Despite his nightmare earlier in the night, he had gotten a pretty good sleep afterwards. 

“Are the children still asleep?” Obi-Wan asked as he kissed Cody’s wrist. 

His husband nodded as he moved away to check himself in the mirror. “Yes, the ade are still asleep. Vel should be coming over to work on the mural. And I need to get to work.” He finished fixing up his hair, which looked wonderful to Obi-Wan, but he knew that Cody, like many of the clones, found his appearance to be important so he said nothing as he watched his husband finish up getting ready. “I love you cyar’ika.”

“I adore you my love, my dear, my—” 

Cody’s lips met his and Obi-Wan grinned into it. “I know you were just doing that so I would kiss you.”

“It worked,” Obi-Wan said as they continued to kiss. How wonderful was it, to lay in bed and kiss his husband. “Be safe.”

“Aren’t I always?” Cody laughed as he walked out the door and made his way towards the children’s room. Obi-Wan sighed before standing up out of bed. He pulled a shawl draped over a chair over towards him with the Force and carefully wrapped it around his shoulders as he moved into the hallway, where Cody was already walking with Luke on his hip and Leia shakily walking after him. Leia had gotten the hang of walking before her brother, who would rather be carried then work on moving his little chubby legs unlike his independent sister. “Alright ade, be good for your Obi, alright.”

“Buir!” Luke shouted as he pressed a kiss to Cody’s cheek. “Buir!” 

“I know Lu’ika. I know.” Cody laughed as he kissed Luke’s nose. The boy laughed, opening his gummy mouth wide as he did, before giving his buir another messy kiss. Behind him, Leia grabbed onto his leg and made grabby hands until Cody laughed and scooped her up as well. There was a minute of kisses and laughter back and forth between the children and their buir before Cody finally dumped them onto the couch, gave Obi-Wan one last kiss, and left to work. 

It wasn’t long before there was a tentative knock on the door. Obi-Wan left the children to their own devices as they ate their breakfast as he moved to open the door, feeling Vel’s now familiar signature. The boy came by a few days in a row to begin the sketch along the wall, but Obi-Wan hadn’t seen him in about a week. He opened the door, about to greet the boy, but found his greeting lost between his lips as he caught sight of the boy's bruised face and busted lip. “Vel, whatever happened to you? Oh dear, come on, let’s get some bacta onto that it should help.” 

“No, it’s fine Mister Kenobi!” Vel said as he glanced over towards where the children were eating. “Um, I can just get to work. It doesn’t hurt all too bad, really.”

Obi-Wan frowned as he placed his hand onto Vel’s shoulder. “Vel, I’ve seen plenty like this and experienced it myself. You have to be in a lot of pain right now. We have a lot of bacta stored up, it is no issue. Now come along, sit. I’ll get what we need.” He led the boy to the coach before moving towards the refresher and grabbing the medpack they kept there. It was filled with bacta patches and salves, along with bandages, a few spare flashlights, a small medisensor, and several other kinds of medicine and sprays they could possibly need. He held up a tube of salve and a patch and Vel pointed towards the salve. “Alright then, it will be a bit cold, but don’t worry.”

Carefully, Obi-Wan spread the bacta along the boy's face where there was bruising and bumps. Vel flinched once or twice, but kept as still as Obi-Wan expected the boy would as he worked. “Thanks,” Vel quietly murmured as Obi-Wan finished up. 

As he began to put away the salve, Obi-Wan breathed in and out slowly as he thought on how to move forward. Anakin had always been defensive at this age, ready to yell when Obi-Wan pushed a little too hard about something. Vel had a similar hurt to Anakin shining deep within his eyes that told him he had to tread carefully. With a breath in, he met Vel’s eyes and asked, “Do you mind telling me how this happened Vel?”

The boy was quiet for a brief moment before he whispered out, “Just some kriffing sleemos near where I live. They’re a bit older than me and bigger so they pick on me sometimes. I was on my way here and already commed Cody to say I would be here soon so…” Vel trailed off with a shrug of his shoulders. He glanced back down at his hands, chipping away at the yellow nailpolish on his fingernails. ”It’s not a big deal. My uncle says I need to stand up for myself more, but, uh, it’s fine. I’m fine. But thank you.” 

Obi-Wan sighed, unsure how to tell this fourteen year old boy that it wasn’t fine that he got hurt repeatedly near his own home, but he simply asked, “Have you eaten yet? I can make you some pancakes before you get started if you would like.” When Vel shook his head, Obi-Wan moved towards the kitchen, Vel slowly walking towards the table where the twins were. “No allergies, correct?” With Vel’s negative grunt, Obi-Wan quickly got to work, talking to Vel and his children as he worked on cooking. When the first pancake was done, he placed it in front of Vel before moving to make more. 

“Thank you Mister Kenobi. You and Cody have been… you two have been really kind to me.” Vel sniffed quietly as Obi-Wan set another pancake on his plate. There were tears on his cheeks, but Obi-Wan decided not to say a thing as he continued to make the pancakes and set them onto the table, letting the boy have his moment as he ate and listened to the twins.

“Kriffing hells.” Cody muttered as he stretched his arms over his head and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Obi-Wan immediately began to massage at his husbands shoulders, who gave him an appreciative grunt as his fingers began to knead at his tight muscles. “His face was  _ beat _ . And his kriffing uncle didn’t even give a kriff when I mentioned it! Just—kriff I wish Vel could just stay here with us, he doesn’t deserve to be treated the way that man treats him. Like he’s nothing. He’s  _ not.  _ He’s a great boy with so much potential and heart.” His husband gave a few more curses as he continued on about Vel’s uncle, his expression dark as he recounted what the man said when Cody had dropped Vel back to his home. “I ran into those damned  _ kids  _ who hurt him too, they’re kriffing older than Ahsoka! Grown adults hurting a boy! I think I put some fear into their heads, but kriff. Kriff.” 

Obi-Wan sighed and kissed the back of Cody’s neck. “Kote, perhaps we can… well, I know how much you care about Velvet, and I care about him too. We can extend an offer to him to sleep in the spare room if he ever wants to be away from his uncle.” 

His husband sighed. “That sounds good, it does. I just wish I could do more for him. Be his—”

It was unspoken, hints here and there that Obi-Wan had caught from their conversations and from the time they had all spent time together. Him and Cody and Vel and Luke and Leia. Vel had immediately taken to the twins, and vice versa. Obi-Wan could see what Cody had since he had realized the boy’s home life was less than happy. Vel could be a part of their family. Obi-Wan pressed his cheek to Cody’s shoulder and nodded best he could. 

“I know Cody, I know. I do too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vel is :') he's a good kid :') Okay this is like.... the third or fourth time I introduced an oc kid charcter when the story is nearly done lol I just love characters being parents lmao I'm kind of nervous kind of having him show up out of nowhere, but after I had thought about this kid who would come nearly everyday to talk to Cody and show him art I HAD to!!
> 
> This flashback went into a bit how the deciding fight happened and tbh I don’t have it all thought out. I just know Anakin was like ‘heyyyy I should try talking to Obi-Wan about this cause I feel like pure sh-t over this.’ Idk it’s MY self indulgent fic I get to chose the vague timeline of event changes!! 
> 
> Last chapter :3 will be up :3 soon :3


	5. queuing up the symphony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m only two years younger than Anakin was when I met him. He really was only just a boy wasn’t he?”
> 
> “He was.”
> 
> “Anakin always seemed so much bigger than what he was.” Ahsoka said quietly as she tapped her nail against her mug in a steady rhythm. She tilted her head to the side and stared at the mug like it could answer everything she ever questioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter <3 I've been working on this since august apparently (!!) so I'm very excited to have it finished and to share with everyone... which is why I said screw a posting schedule lol I hope everyone enjoys!!
> 
> chapter title from "Slow Dance" by Saint Motel

Carefully, Obi-Wan blew against the lip of his mug as he waited for his tea to cool off. Across the table from him Ahsoka took a small sip of her own tea before scrunching up her nose and placing it back onto the table. “I do not know how you can drink this master. Caf is  _ way  _ better.” Obi-Wan, who knew his grandpadawan drank her caf with blue milk, creamer, and about ten sugars, could only laugh and shake his head at her as he took his own small sip. Even Cody with his everlasting sweet tooth had his caf black.

“I suppose it’s an acquired taste for some. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t much like tea when I was a youngling, but it grew on me by the time I was… oh dear. Am I so old I cannot remember how old I was?” He pulled his eyebrows together and rubbed at his beard as he thought, Ahsoka chuckling into her hand as he did. “I believe… I may have been thirteen when I first began to crave tea on my own. Yes, I was thirteen because I had tried my best to make some out of assorted leaves and herbs I had found while scrounging on Melida/Daan.” It hadn’t gone well and his friends in the Young had complained that he ruined perfectly good water as they drank through what he had made. 

“Melida/Daan? I don’t believe I have ever heard of such a place.” Ahsoka said curiously as she took another slow sip of tea. 

Obi-Wan smiled sadly. “Yes, well, it’s a planet in the Outer Rim. The inhabitants are the Melida and the Daan. They suffered through civil wars and unease with each other, but it seems in the past few years they have begun a tentative alliance. I hear they have chosen to elect a king and queen from each to help strengthen their bonds to become one singular people. Soon they should have a representative in the Senate as well.” The growth of the planet had been small, little victories here and there that Obi-Wan could only learn from small articles throughout the years, but it was great nonetheless. It was what the Young had always wanted: unity. “I fought a bit in their war when I was there.”

“When you were thirteen?” 

“Yes. We were awfully young for war, weren’t we Padawan?” Obi-Wan asked as he extended his hand across the table. His grandpadawan smiled as she took his hand and squeezed. “I’m sorry that you experienced this twisted war Ahsoka, and I’m… I’m sorry that you couldn’t be a true padawan.”

Ahsoka froze, her eyes slits as she stared at him. “Are you saying Anakin wasn’t a great master? Because he was. He was the best. He taught me well and he—he loved me.” Her sudden anger and disbelief coiled between them, taut and ready to bite, and Obi-Wan caressed at her hand with his thumb as he shook his head. No, Obi-Wan knew that Anakin did the best he could to teach her, and taught her well he had. She had been forged by the war and by Anakin’s teachings in a way that made her so graceful and brave Obi-Wan could barely comprehend how she was the same Padawan who had walked up to him and Anakin, nervous and small. 

“Ahsoka, I only mean to say that the war kept you away from learning as you should have. That you had to grow up so fast and while I admire the young woman you have become, it hurts me to know that it was because of all you had seen and suffered through to become  _ you _ . I know Anakin taught you as well as he could. I thought he needed a Padawan to help him calm down, and he did in some ways. But in others, well, perhaps Anakin was just too young to be a proper master. He was only twenty, much younger than the average human Knights receive their own Padawans.” In some ways, it was easy to forget how young Anakin had been when they had met Ahsoka. He had always tried to make himself seem older and stronger than he was and there had been a weight in his eyes that spoke of unforgotten sights that would never leave his soul. Something marred and hurt. 

“Anakin may have been young, but he was a wonderful master! You said so yourself Master Kenobi! He was brave and strong and if it weren’t for him I would never have grown as much as I have.” Ahsoka frowned at him and pulled her hand away from him to instead clutch at her mug of tea. “He  _ was _ a proper master.” She sounded much younger than what she was, gripping at the edge of a past long gone, and Obi-Wan couldn’t blame her for it.

Obi-Wan sighed and raised up a hand to rub at his beard as he replied, “You don’t have to defend him so much Ahsoka. I love him as much as you do, but I accept that he had his flaws.”

“He—He.” Ahsoka frowned and shook her head, but didn’t say anything further as they continued to sit there, drinking their tea.

“He relied too much on you to be his emotional support. You were  _ his _ youngling, you shouldn’t have to walk around hiding his secrets and keeping his burdens Ahsoka. You don’t have to defend him still. And I know he never did so on purpose, Anakin loved you so much. But you shouldn’t have to live with yourself feeling like the reason your master had nearly Fell was because you weren’t there to keep him in line. That was all him, Ashoka dear. Anakin sought power, he lingered deep within himself with a fear and an anger that nobody could take away. I’m just glad he had enough sense to come to me, to not completely lose himself to power, but he came close. And that was not your fault.” Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sighed, letting his words settle between them. It was something he hadn’t been able to mention the last he had seen her, but now, in the dredges of the night as his family slept and it was just him and Ahsoka, he could say it out loud. 

_ His eyes were wide and all Obi-Wan could see as he held him close to his body was the circle of red next to his pupil as he struggled to breathe, his fingers rising up and catching at Obi-Wan’s beard as he said, insistent and quiet, “I’ve done terrible things, terrible terrible things. I was a terrible Jedi.”  _

He hadn’t been a terrible Jedi. But he had held onto something that had caused him to nearly lose his sense of self. Sometimes, in the dead of night with only himself to hear, Obi-Wan thought it had been a blessing that Anakin had died. What if he had pushed further? What if he well and truly had Fell to the Dark Side? Especially after Obi-Wan had learned about his actions years ago on Tatooine, straight from his step-brother's mouth as he quietly spoke about the tribe of Tuskens that had been found slaughtered by a blade that didn’t cause bleeding. “It was a massacre, the only reason the sand didn’t turn red was because of that laser sword of his I suppose,” Owen Lars had said when he had lit up a cigarette and handed it to Obi-Wan like he knew he would need it. Obi-Wan hadn’t wanted to think of it since he learned of the event, but Anakin had been falling since he was nineteen. He had been falling when he let himself live on with knowing he murdered a tribe of people. Men and women and children, undeserving of the treatment he gave them all, gone in a calamitous, rough pain that Obi-Wan had felt as he had walked through the sandy land Owen Lars had said the massacre had been. 

“I wish I could have helped him though,” Ahsoka whispered. Obi-Wan opened his eyes and watched as tears fell down her cheeks. He held out his hand and Ahsoka took it as she shook and cried, silent but full of pain. It took a while before she calmed down and they quietly drank their tea. 

Obi-Wan was about to ask his grandpadawan if she would like to sleep the rest of the night on the couch, the only space available at the moment, when a small gasp caught his attention and he glanced over to see Vel, wearing one of Cody’s large sweatshirts that fell to his knees, standing in the kitchen doorway with his hand over his chest. “Obi you scared me!” Vel said quietly as he squinted over at Ahsoka. “Oh, um, hi. Sorry. You—company. I just came in to grab some water.”

“Hello there. You must be Vel. Obi-Wan and Cody told me quite a lot about you.” Ahsoka said with a small smile as Vel walked further into the room and smiled back shyly. Ahsoka wiped at her face again and turned back to her mug. 

“Would you like some tea Vel? It should still be warm.” Obi-Wan asked the boy.

He shook his head and moved to grab a glass for himself. “No thank you Obi.” With that, he grabbed himself water, drank it quickly, and placed it to be washed before he sleepily shuffled back out of the room with a “goodnight Obi” that Obi-Wan quietly called back to Vel. When they were certain that Vel was back in bed, Ahsoka grinned widely at him. “Obi, huh?” Vel had picked up the nickname that Luke and Leia called him by, which made Obi-Wan smile as he thought of it. “So is he an official part of the Kenobi family then?” 

“Now, now Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan chided as he finished drinking his tea before pouring himself some more. “He’s been spending nights here more often than not the past few weeks. Actually, Cody contacted a social worker at the Coruscant Child Services to ask about how we could possibly adopt him. If his uncle voluntarily gives up his right to Vel then we can have custody of him officially, or he could try to become emancipated, but that would be rather counterproductive seeing as he would have to be financially stable for himself and live on his own and that is not what we want for him. But, we’re still talking about it, whether Vel would even  _ want _ to…”

It had been a series of long conversations they had over the weeks. Cody had even spoken with Vel’s uncle about the boy staying with them. When he had hinted at adopting the boy, apparently his uncle had seemed rather relieved at the prospect, but had been his usual crass self that made Cody bristle as he recounted the conversation to Obi-Wan. From what Obi-Wan knew from his own brief conversations with the man, Vel’s uncle, Mim, had taken custody of Vel after his longtime girlfriend, Vel’s biological aunt, had left them and passed away in an accident six months later. All during those months Mim had apparently tried to find somewhere else for Vel to go before letting the boy do as he pleased and doing the bare minimum for caring for him. It seemed it was all rather emotionally complex, but at the end of the day he wasn’t properly caring for Vel and obviously did not want the responsibility and the young boy didn’t deserve that.

“Obi-Wan, after everything you’ve told me, that kid cares about you all. I think if everything goes right and you and Cody are able to adopt him then he’d be nothing but happy. I know I am.” Ahsoka smiled shyly before finishing her own tea and shaking her head when Obi-Wan offered her more. “Only on Coruscant do you have to file paperwork to adopt a kid,” Ahsoka said with a roll of her eyes. It was the same complaint that Cody had, and while Obi-Wan understood the sentiment he still didn’t say it out loud. The Jedi usually did not have to deal with anything like parental or guardian rights, since once they had handed off the child to the Jedi it was understood that they were from that moment on a child of the Jedi. That was, of course, only on planets within the Republic, which differed from planets in the Outer Rim. Most children in the Outer Rim did not have any official documents. Really, if they were in any place other than Coruscant, it might have been a hundred times easier to adopt Vel. 

Deep in his thoughts, Obi-Wan was surprised when Ahsoka shifted and spoke again. “I’m only two years younger than Anakin was when I met him. He really was only just a boy wasn’t he?”

“He was.”

“Anakin always seemed so much bigger than what he was.” Ahsoka said quietly as she tapped her nail against her mug in a steady rhythm. She tilted her head to the side and stared at the mug like it could answer everything she ever questioned.

“I loved him, as I love you, you know that right Ahsoka? Everything I have said and done, it’s been with my care for you.” Obi-Wan said as he watched his grandpadawan smile, slow and wide, before she repeated, “I love you too Obi.” The nickname made Obi-Wan’s chest fill with warmth and he couldn’t help his own smile. 

________________

He carefully massaged his husbands back as they spoke together in quiet, low voices. The twins were asleep on the floor of their bedroom, curled up into each other like two tooka cats, laying on the plush blanket Obi-Wan had set down earlier for them to play on. Cody’s shoulders slowly relaxed as Obi-Wan worked, moving to kiss the back of his husband's neck every now and then simply because he could. 

“I’m taking the job at the Jedi Temple.” Cody said with a loud sigh through his nose. “The job I have now makes me feel like osik and ever since I saw Threepwood I keep thinking about how working with my siblings and being around the Jedi again would make working feel so much—brighter.” 

Obi-Wan nodded his head although he knew Cody couldn’t see him. He knew this would be coming, he could feel Cody’s irritation with his security job. That wasn’t even mentioning how much Cody had begun to bring up the Jedi Temple and how he spoke more frequently with some of his siblings who worked there. “I think it would be best. You’ve been thinking it over for months now and I know this would make you feel happier. I think perhaps it is time I return to the Temple as well. It will take some adjustment, and the twins are rather young, but I’m sure we can find a clan that would take them in. As for Vel I’m sure that Ahsoka would love to talk to him about the project she is starting, and—”

Cody’s lips pressed against Obi-Wan’s, catching him with his mouth open and their teeth clanking together. It was messy and odd, but softened when Obi-Wan realized what was happening. When he pulled back, they stayed close, Cody’s forehead pressed to his as their warm breath mingled together. “Sorry, didn’t mean to attack you.”

“It’s quite alright Kote.” Obi-Wan said quietly as he twisted one of Cody’s curls around his fingers. It had gotten long enough that Cody had asked him to help trim his hair. The last time Obi-Wan had trimmed anyones hair was when Anakin was still a padawan and he would have to trim his hair every few weeks to help keep it short. Anakin used to complain the whole time and wiggle about if he felt like Obi-Wan got a bit too close to his neck. There had even been once when the boy had tried to cut his hair by himself only to have cut it crooked. It had been nice to trim Cody’s hair. There was a different intimacy to it that had made Obi-Wan feel at ease. 

“You mentioned Vel.” 

“Of course I did. I want him to be our ad as much as you.” Obi-Wan whispered, knowing not to take offense to Cody’s words but feeling a bit dejected anyways that his husband would think he wouldn’t. 

“I know. I just think, sometimes, that I’m in over my head with trying to adopt Vel. His uncle is apparently working on the paperwork I gave him, just have to ask Vel what he thinks before anything else, but. But. Kriff. I don’t even know why this matters so much to me. I’m a clone, I don’t have some level of understanding with him.” Cody said as he leaned back and rubbed at his eyes, his hand lingering near the scar that curled around his eye as he glanced away. 

Obi-Wan lightly kissed at his nose. “You love him Kote dear. That’s all. And no matter who you are you will always care.”

“That’s rich coming from the most emotionally constipated man I’ve ever met.” Cody said with a grin before pressing another kiss to his lips. Obi-Wan made a noise of complaint, but relished in the kiss before they pulled back again. He wasn’t  _ exactly  _ wrong Obi-Wan supposed. Not that he enjoyed hearing that from his husband. “Alright, well, I suppose I’ll have to quit my job then. Officially. This is great. No more standing in front of warehouse doors and staring at—” 

He was cut off as a small body pushed into his side and Obi-Wan blinked in surprise as he took in Vel, with his hands clenched together and tears beginning to fall from his eyes. He must have walked past the open door and heard the last of their conversation. His hearing wasn’t the best and they made a point of making sure to talk directly to the boy to be sure he could hear them clearly, but even with his injured montral he wasn’t deaf. “You  _ can’t  _ quit! You’re supposed to be the person who stays! You said you wouldn’t leave me!” Vel yelled as he pushed at Cody’s shoulder again before sniffing and running out of the room as abruptly as he had appeared. 

“I—” Cody glanced at Obi-Wan with wide eyes. He nodded his head and said, “go talk to him.” Cody gave a serious nod and walked off towards where Vel had gone off to. Obi-Wan sighed and rubbed at his face before glancing over at the children. Despite the trouble, they were sound asleep, which Obi-Wan was grateful for. He moved off the bed and laid down beside them, listening to their breathing and admiring their presence in the Force as he waited. He was half asleep himself when footsteps, unsure and slow, moved towards him. Vel laid down on his left side and pressed his face to Obi-Wan’s back. 

“I want to live with you guys too.” Vel mumbled against his back. “I want it so bad. My uncle, I think he’ll let me. He lets me do anything I want, plus it’s not like he’ll  _ miss  _ me. He’s said before that…” He trailed off as a small sob escaped his lips and Obi-Wan slowly moved to turn over to let the boy rest his head on his chest. Obi-Wan set his hand on the boy's shoulder and rubbed back and forth as he let his cry. Eventually Cody laid on Vel’s other side. Together they talked for a long time.

________________

The soft familiar fabric of Jedi robes was welcomed as Obi-Wan checked himself in the mirror. Little Leia, who had been incorrigible when Obi-Wan had tried to part from her, was clinging onto his leg as she held herself up, looking into the full-length mirror with wide eyes as she spoke to him. Obi-Wan smiled at his daughter as he picked her up and held her up against his hip. “Think you would ever like to wear one of these my little tooka cat?” He asked playfully as he moved out of the room. “You would make a fine young Jedi, though I may be a bit biased towards you in all honesty. Though who couldn’t, seeing how adorable and strong you are my little one?”

It wasn’t long before he found Ahsoka, deep in conversation with Vel as they sat on the ground together with their legs crossed. Vel was nodding his head intently as he listened to Ahsoka, his fingers fiddling with his flimiplast sketchbook. Obi-Wan gave them a small nod as he walked past, Vel smiling widely in response and Ahsoka nodding back before she continued to speak to Vel. Further in the same room, Cody was leaning against a wall with Threepwood and one of his sisters, Moon if Obi-Wan remembered correctly. And he most likely was seeing that she had the phases of the moon painted onto the back of her armor. She had been a member of the 104th Battalion. Cody was in full armor with his helmet hooked to his hip. When he had pulled out his armor a few weeks back, unworn since he had left the GAR, Vel had excitedly helped him repaint it. Along with the 212th orange-gold paint, there had been a brown and orange tooka cat added onto his left spaulder and three tooka cats on his right that they had quickly figured were the five members of their little family, much to Vel’s embarrassment. 

“Hey, you taking Le’ika back to the crèche?” Cody asked with a smile as Obi-Wan moved towards him and his siblings. 

“Yes, where she will hopefully not throw another fit.” Obi-Wan said pointedly, as though she was at an age that she would even be receptive to him telling her anything like this. Instead she just made an irritated noise and tried to bite at his beard. Perhaps she  _ was _ a little receptive towards his words. “Leia, give your buir a kiss before you go.” Cody snorted as he kissed the top of her head and told her to be goodbye. With that, Obi-Wan smiled at both Threepwood and Moon as he left, off towards the crèche. 

He could hear the two siblings already teasing Cody in low tones. 

The clan that they had left Luke with was made up of older initiates—around ten and eleven—who had excitedly volunteered to watch the babies. Clan Tusk-Cat had been eager and listened intently as Obi-Wan had described how to properly care for the children while Crèchemaster Chela Oso had stood back with a smile on her face as she had watched her younglings. As Obi-Wan walked back into the crèche, he was greeted to the sight of a young wookie holding Luke in their lap as a young human girl held up a picture book as she slowly read aloud in different voices. Master Chela grinned as she caught sight of him and moved towards the door where he stood and watched. 

“Master Kenobi.” Master Chela said as she smoothed at Leia’s hair. “Is Miss Kenobi here ready to meet the rest of the clan?” 

Obi-Wan blinked for a moment. Technically, the twins were named Skywalker, an insistence Obi-Wan had made when they had been infants. But—to hear his daughter being called  _ Kenobi _ , his name, Cody’s name, made him pause as he contemplated it. “Oh, well, yes. She should be. Honestly I was quite surprised that Leia had been the one to throw a fit. She usually loves meeting new people and being the center of attention.” Carefully, he transferred Leia into Chela’s waiting arms, the woman smiling at his daughter softly as she took her into her arms. 

“Perhaps it is the upcoming change.” Master Chela said with a hum as she let young Leia grasp at her long hair. From what Obi-Wan knew of Master Chela, she often let the younglings of hers pick out new colors for her to dye her hair and it was now a bright blue that contrasted nicely with her dark skin. The color seemed to intrigue Leia as she tried to stick it into her mouth. “No thank you Leia,” Chela said with a laugh as she pulled her hair away from the girl’s mouth. “You should get going, Master Kenobi. I promise the younglings will be in the best of care.” Chela bowed her head slightly as she grinned at him. 

“Thank you Master Chela.” Obi-Wan bowed back. “I am terribly sorry for imposing you—”

“As I said before, the younglings were quite excited at the prospect of such small children visiting and we would be nothing but happy to care for them again. Plus, it helps them learn some responsibility.” Master Chela reassured before shooing him away with a small, playful push of the Force to his shoulder. Obi-Wan chuckled as he flicked his wrist and used the Force to make her hair ruffle about behind her shoulders. 

The easy familiarness that came with this—being at the Temple, teasing other Force users, being part of something bigger than him—made his chest feel a warmth as he grinned and walked off. He had missed the Temple terribly, along with the people who inhabited it and the kind, calm energy that hugged him. It wasn’t the same as during the war, no, it was better. Nearly like when he had been a child, running about with Quinlan, Bant, and Garen as they argued and played together. The presence within the Temple was what he had been holding onto since he was a teenager, but had not completely felt since he was youngling—before his own stint in slavery, before Melida/Daan, before Satine, before Naboo, before the Clone Wars. It was unlike anything else and it only made him smile further as he walked through, saying hello here and there to other Jedi he passed.

Ahsoka and Vel were where he had left them, his son excitedly showing Ahsoka some of his artwork while a twi’lek Padawan around Vel’s age nervously approached them both as they tugged at the head of their headpiece. The Padawan’s master was off to the side with her arms crossed as she watched the youngling, smiling softly as the Vel patted the spot next to them so that the Padawan could also see his sketchbook. 

Obi-Wan approached the Padawan’s master, a young half-twi’lek woman by the looks of her. She had ears that were nearly the cone shape of a twi’leks, but with the folds and opening of a human's ears. Her skin was pale with blotches of pink on her hands and across her chin, nose, and eyes and she had short pink lekku peeking out from underneath her thick pink and brown hair. The Jedi Knight grinned when Obi-Wan stepped closer and bowed her head slightly, “Master Kenobi, hello!” 

“Hello. Are they your Padawan?” Obi-Wan tilted his head towards where the twi’lek was nodding along seriously to what vel was saying. 

The Knight nodded her head. “Yes, Padawan Theney Tekki. I’ve only been their master for a few months now. Ah, forgive me my manners Master Kenobi! I am Jedi Knight Qyn Leke, it’s a pleasure to meet you formally Master Kenobi. When news of your return to the Order reached me I was very glad, though I did not think I would have the opportunity to meet you.” Obi-Wan smiled and nodded, but before he could say anything, she continued on. “I hope this is not too forward of me, but I have begun using Soresu and I was wondering if you could help me practice the form. Everyone I have spoken to insists that you are the master of Soresu so I would be honored to receive knowledge from you Master.” Knight Leke spoke fast and nervously and before Obi-Wan knew it he was chuckling and setting a hand on her shoulder. 

“Well as unsure as I am about being referred as  _ the _ master of Soresu, I would be glad to train you with Knight Leke. While I kept up practicing my form, it has been quite a while since I have touched my lightsaber so forgive any of my mistakes.” Obi-Wan said with a teasing smile as the young woman shook her head and excitedly thanked him. 

They made their plans to train together for later in the week before Knight Leke straightened up and called out, “Padawan it is time for us to meditate. Come along.” Theney pouted, but they quickly and politely bowed at Ahsoka and accepted Vel’s invitation of a fist bump before running up to Leke. “Master Kenobi, I look forward to the next time we will meet.” Leke kept a straight face but Obi-Wan could see how her hair shifted slightly as her short lekku wiggled in uncontained excitement. 

Obi-Wan grinned and bowed back. “The pleasure will be all mine Knight Leke. Have fun getting your youngling to meditate.” Knight Leke laughed as she set her hand on her Padawan’s back, who simply scowled at her and shook their head as though the very subject was something they have spoken of before. Knowing how new Padawans were when it came to meditation it truly wouldn’t be a surprise if it was. A short body pressed close to Obi-Wan and he smiled down at Vel, who wrapped an arm around his waist in a one-armed hug. “Hello Vel. How was your conversation with Ahsoka and Theney?”

Vel grinned as he pushed Obi-Wan forward and they began to walk together. Obi-Wan glanced back, but Ahsoka waved them forward as she held a hologram in her hand seemingly in conversation. “It was good. Ahsoka was telling me about how she’s starting a program to fix up the bottom levels. I hope she can do it, it sounds pretty wizard honestly.” 

The outreach program that Ahsoka was trying to create was still in the beginning stages, but Obi-Wan knew that she was gathering as many people as she could to help reach her goal. She was working on a proposal with a few other Senior Padawans who agreed with her initiative and with the assistance of Senator Riyo Chuchi and Jamillia Dharker. Obi-Wan couldn’t be prouder of his young grandpadawan. “It is pretty  _ wizard _ .” Obi-Wan said with a smile as Vel snorted and playfully told him to never say that word again. 

________________

The hologram of Rex wavered slightly, but the connection seemed to get better after a moment as he reached a hand out and, presumably, fixed up his holocomm. Rex grinned and waved, “Hey. Nice seeing you all, but, uh, maybe not your ugly mug Codes.” It had been a good few weeks since Obi-Wan had spoken to Rex and couldn’t help but smile widely at his friend. Rex had begun to grow out his hair as well, with an undercut on the left side of his head and what looked like the Mando’a word for ‘persevere’ etched along his skull. Along with the new haircut was armour that Obi-Wan had never seen the man wear, bright and unpainted. 

“Oh shut your mouth. You’re lucky you’re across whole systems or I would get you for that Rex.” Cody teased back with a large grin. In his arms Leia reached out to try and grab towards Rex, but Cody laughed and pulled her back and instead moved her hand in a wave until she grinned and enthusiastically waved at her uncle. 

“How’s the bounty hunting going Rex?” Ahsoka asked with a smile as she adjusted the sleeves of her robes. When Obi-Wan had first seen his grandpadawan in actual Jedi robes he had teased her until she tried to bite at his arm, but it was a wonderful look on her that he was happy to see her embrace. Obi-Wan adjusted Luke in his arms as Rex began to describe all that had happened during his last job, getting distracted here and there as he turned to smile and talk to Luke and Leia. The twins drank the attention, but seemed to dislike that the man was not physically there to give the attention they actually wanted from him. 

“Got to say Tano, pretty odd seeing you in Jedi clothes like that.” Rex said with a laugh as he leaned against something that did not show on the hologram. “It’s fitting though.”

“As fitting as that beskar’gam I see you have on vod.” Cody answered right back as Ahsoka made a noise of agreement. “Hey, is the key to your heart around?” 

Rex scowled and crossed his eyes, but couldn’t seem to look properly mad as he called his boyfriend over to say hello. All Obi-Wan knew about Rex’s boyfriend was that they had met about a year ago, since then Rex had been smitten to the point that Ahsoka complained that he was stuck to his comm like a giddy kid as he messaged the man, and the man in question was a Mandalorian that followed the ways of the Haat Mando’ade. A man, shorter than Rex and in full orange and blue armour, stepped up beside Rex and waved at them. “Hey! I’m Key. Nice to see you all. Ahsoka, Master Jedi, you look adorably respectable.” He tilted his head to the side and, Obi-Wan thought as he looked at the pointed tips of his helmet, Key looked a bit like a curious tooka cat. 

Ahsoka beamed at the compliment from her friend. “I’m still a Padawan, actually. But thank you Key.”

They spent a while longer catching up—Key and Rex had adopted a stray loth cat that they tried (and unsuccessfully) to show them all, Obi-Wan and Cody updated them on the twins and Vel, Ahsoka told them about the small mission she and Obi-Wan had gone on and about the youngling she had found and brought to the Temple, and the twins showed off their growing verbal skills whenever they could.

It was nice, seeing Rex so cheerful. It was a contrast to the man that Obi-Wan had known for three long years during the war and he couldn’t be anything but happier for his friend. And, Obi-Wan thought as he glanced at a grinning Cody and Ahsoka, it seemed they were all more joyful in the lives they were slowly building for themselves.

Cody’s hand was warm on his back and Obi-Wan cherished it as he pressed his forehead to his husband's shoulder, letting the man guide them through their dance. Vel had gone to a sleepover at the Temple with Theney, who was quickly becoming his closest friend that he always tried to go off and see whenever he accompanied Obi-Wan or Cody to the Temple, and the twins had fallen asleep together in the same crib after excitedly talking about their ba’vodu, or “ba’voo” as the twins said, before accepting their goodnight kisses and a story and slowly drifting off. 

“Today was good.” Cody whispered into the top of Obi-Wan’s head before pressing a kiss there. “I’m glad Rex is doing well. I always worry about him.” If there was anything Obi-Wan understood, it was the worry an older brother had for his younger brother. “Hey, how long do you think it will be before Rex and Key get married?”

“Seeing how flustered Rex got? We may have to wait years before we get any news like that dear.” Obi-Wan answered with a chuckle. “It will happen though. They clearly care very much for each other. Plus nothing says commitment like having a tooka cat together.” 

Cody hummed. “Then what have we been doing?” 

Obi-Wan laughed and moved to kiss Cody’s cheek. He hadn’t shaved so his skin was full of bristly stubble that felt appealing against Obi-Wan’s lips. “Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, Kote Kenobi.” Those words, deep and rich in Mando’a, and his name, full and beautiful, made Obi-Wan’s fingers tingle and he said it again and again as he kissed his husband, not letting him get a word in as he showered him in love. Cody had been with him for so long, followed him through hell and back, the both of them holding each other up when the other was on the edge of devastation. Obi-Wan loved Cody, his strength, his glory, his beauty, his heart, his love, his care, his heartbreak. He loved every inch of the man. There would be one day that Obi-Wan would need to let go of Cody, he knew he would because that day always came for him, but he made peace with the thought. The fact that he even had Cody in his arms, had all of him and all of their life, was always and forever enough for Obi-Wan no matter how long it lasted. 

Cody pulled back with a grin and gently cradled Obi-Wan’s face between his hands. His smile was soft and Obi-Wan could  _ feel _ the absolute care the man held within himself in his every movement and in the Force. “Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, Obi-Wan Kenobi.” 

And they danced. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I looooooove Anakin so much!! I do!! But does any one else get the feeling like Ahsoka felt like she had some responsibility to take care of him?? Like she has to hold his secrets and be an emotional support for him and while there's nothing wrong with that he was the adult in their relationship and it shouldn't have to be that way. Maybe it's just me lol 
> 
> 2) I cannot remember if I mentioned this last chapter but Vel is a nickname for Velvet!
> 
> 3) I was just writing this chapter doing whatever, trying to close ends and accidently created some ocs that I want to write something small for sometime maybe lol. I went on picrew and [made something for Chela and Qyn](https://lesbianakinskywalker.tumblr.com/post/634651817755787264/two-ocs-for-my-tcw-ends-relatively-happy-codywan) and I also [did a crappy little drawing of Qyn](https://lesbianakinskywalker.tumblr.com/post/634630495243763712/i-tried-to-draw-my-jedi-oc-that-showed-up-while) but I'm no artist lol I just wanted a ref for what I was thinking. 
> 
> 4) Jamillia is the name of a Queen of Naboo and I thought I would mention her. The last name I used for her is the name of the actress who played her (Ayesha Dharker).
> 
> 5) [KEY](https://octoaliencowboy.tumblr.com/post/633995772871966720/i-coloured-him-in-also-heres-rex-again)!!!!! [I adore Key sm](https://octoaliencowboy.tumblr.com/post/631017419113152512/official-final-design-for-key-from-the-new)!!! [Have you seen Key?](https://octoaliencowboy.tumblr.com/post/628558910581866496/you-know-what-life-is-too-short-to-be-embarrassed) Anyways if for some reason you haven't read [the New Perspective AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23933368/chapters/57554233) by Car/[octoaliencowboy](https://octoaliencowboy.tumblr.com/) Key is their oc that has some REALLY good moments with Rex and I couldn't think of anyone other then him being with Rex in my story <3 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this last chapter tell me what you think!!! <3 thank you to everyone who has read this and commented and left a kudos <3

**Author's Note:**

> please subscribe and leave a comment and a kudos if you enjoy <3


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